Guardians:Fellowship Book 2:Of Discoveries
by Warriormaid
Summary: Kestrel has joined Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas after the Fellowship has broken. Through all this, Kestrel is discovering what it means to be a Guardian. And what's up with that little tidbit Galadriel revealed? Sequel to Of Entrances.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.: This is a sequel to one of my other LotR fanfics, "Of Entrances." Thanks to Chidori-No-Kyoku and QueenSword for reviewing it! Here you go!**

**Disclaimer: I own Kestrel and Angel, and that's it.**

_Chapter 1_

Kestrel, Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn had headed off into the west, leaving the boats behind. Three days of tracking the troop of Orcs across hill country. Kestrel was getting tired, but she wasn't half as beat as Gimli. Running over rocks and plains was new to her – she wasn't much of a runner. Especially over long distances.

So it came as a relief to her when Aragorn finally stopped, lying on a big rock with his eyes closed.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she came upon him.

Legolas answered, "Listening for the Orcs!"

"Well, SORRY if I don't know what he's doing! It looks like he's taking a nap!" Kestrel snapped.

The Elf looked like he was about to answer when Aragorn's eyes opened. "Their pace has quickened." He stood up and ran off, calling over his shoulder. "They must have caught our scent! Hurry!"

With a sigh, Kestrel followed him. "Gimli!" she shouted over her shoulder.

"Come on!" Legolas yelled. She couldn't see the stocky dwarf, but from the sounds she heard, Gimli had slipped and fell yet again. Stifling a snicker, she turned back, hearing his muttering.

"Three days and nights' pursuit. No food. No rest. No sign of our quarry but what bare rock can tell." he panted, leaning on his axe.

Kestrel sucked in air through her teeth. "Come ON, Gimli! Seriously! Hurry up! It's not that hard!" Actually it was, but she did need to give the dwarf some motivation to continue.

But Gimli just shook his head. "Easy for you to say. You're of the race of Men, tall and long-legged folks. I'm a dwarf. Short and stubby…you get the point."

"No I don't. I have bad endurance – I always have. Now COME ON! Don't make me come over there and drag you!" she threatened.

Gimli sighed. "All RIGHT! I'm coming!" He started running again, using his axe as a pace stick. Kestrel shook her head, turned around, and sprinted to catch up with Aragorn and Legolas. She smiled and waved as she pulled ahead of them.

"Oh no you didn't!" Legolas gritted through his teeth. With a few pumps of his long legs, he soon caught up and passed Kestrel. "Take that!"

Kestrel closed her eyes briefly, shaking her head. "Fine. Whatever. You're an Elf."

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Kestrel soon found that she had to periodically glance back to make sure Gimli was keeping up. He was having a lot of trouble, and at first, Kestrel did too. But by the next day, Kestrel had gotten used to the endless running. She envied Legolas, however, because Elves could sleep with their waking eyes.

Suddenly something on the muddy and trampled ground caught her eye. She slowed, but she had already passed it. Trotting back to the object, she noticed that Aragorn had picked it up. It was an Elven brooch, one from the cloaks that had been gifted them in Lothlórien.

"Not idly do the leaves of Lothlórien fall." Aragorn said, looking up.

Kestrel observed, "Dropped about a day ago. Pippin's?"

Aragorn stood up. "Less than a day, in fact. Come!"

"They may yet be alive." Legolas said. "Hurry!"

"Come, Gimli! We're gaining on them!" Kestrel shouted to Gimli. She watched and smiled as he came tumbling down from behind a rock. As he recovered, he said, "I'm wasted on cross-country! We dwarves are natural sprinters! Very dangerous over short distances!"

Kestrel widened her eyes. "REALLY, Gimli. Then let's see you sprint over here!" She took off like an arrow, heading for the crest of a nearby hill. But she began to tire quickly, and soon slowed down to a walk.

"Kestrel and Gimli! Will you please hurry up?" Legolas called.

Kestrel gritted her teeth. "Coming!" she replied, summoning all her strength to make her legs go faster. The hill grew ever closer, and with a few powerful strides, she made it to the top. Nodding to Aragorn and Legolas, she looked at what they were looking. But all she could see was a grassy plain, dotted with a few rugged stones here and there.

"So what are we looking at, exactly?" she asked.

Aragorn answered, "Rohan. Home of the horse-lords. There is something strange at work here. Some evil gives speed to these creatures, sets its will against us. Legolas, see what your Elf-eyes can see."

Legolas nodded and ran forwards, looking at the horizon. Suddenly, he shouted, "The Uruks turn northwest. They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!"

"Saruman. He knows that one of the hobbits has the Ring." Kestrel said. She set off running again, this new revelation adding speed and strength to her legs. "Come on! We've got to reach them before they get to Isengard and Orthanc!"

Legolas and Aragorn followed her, Gimli following a long distance behind. "I can't run that fast, you know! I'm a dwarf!"

"Yes, Gimli. We all know that." Kestrel muttered. She didn't have the eyes of an Elf, so the only way she could track the Orcs was by staring at the ground, following the trampled grass. Suddenly, she tripped and fell, hitting the back of her head on a rock. She sucked in air sharply as the pain struck her.

Legolas was suddenly helping her up. "Are you all right, Kestrel? What happened?"

"Stupid. I tripped over a rock." Kestrel said, shaking her head. "Nothing major."

He took a good look at the back of her head. "What do you mean, nothing major? You've got a pretty bad gash, even if it is shallow."

"I can't see the back of my head, you know. But I don't feel anything, so I don't think it's that bad. Where is it, anyways?" Kestrel asked.

"Base of your skull. Right along your hairline." Legolas answered.

Kestrel sighed. "Wonderful. Now I can't put my hair up in a bun. And ponytails are SO annoying."

"Why not just leave it, like mine?" Legolas asked with a twinkle in his eye.

She widened her eyes. "So you're saying that you've got girly hair, is that it? Well, I do seem to recall some of my other friends, that is, besides Angel, thinking you were a girl at first."

"Well, I can't exactly cut it short, can I? This is Middle-earth, not Earth, or Yetali, or Narnia, or the Edge, or…whatever!" Legolas protested.

"You know what? Screw you and your long blonde hair." Kestrel said, sprinting off. That is, trying to sprint off. But she couldn't keep that pace for long, and soon slowed to a jog, the back of her skull throbbing with every step.

"You really should get that looked at." Legolas commented as he passed by.

She yelled after him, "Yeah, and who is there that look at it? We're in the middle of the East Emnet! The closest town is what, Edoras? And that's pretty far away, isn't it? Three or four days?"

Now already pretty far ahead of her, he called back, "Well, you're much slower than you've been for the past what, three days?"

"At least I'm not Gimli!" she shouted as she started jogging again. _What's his problem? Stupid slow dwarf._

Behind her, tumbling down yet another hill, she heard Gimli's indignant cry. "I heard that!" Kestrel smiled.

When Gimli had picked himself up and started running again, he said, "Keep breathing. That's the key. Breathe!" She shook her head. _Who would've known? This big warrior, hardly able to keep up!_

Legolas had stopped again. "They've run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them!"

Kestrel ran as fast as she could to catch up. "No clear sign of them yet, eh?"

"No. Nothing more than a track, and at this rate, they'll be in Isengard before we even make it to the borders of Fangorn Forest!" Aragorn said.

"Then we'll just have to keep pressing on." Kestrel suggested, looking back at Gimli. "Though that might be hard, considering the state the old dwarf's in."

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Early the next morning, after a night of relentless running, Legolas broke the silence. Turning around and looking at the blood-red sun, he said, "A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night."

"I've seen blood moons, but never a blood sun…The question is, whose blood is it?" Kestrel asked.

"Let us hope it is not Merry and Pippin's." Aragorn said as they came upon yet another group of boulders.

Suddenly Kestrel heard the sound of horses. Running behind the boulders, she shouted to everybody else, "Come on!"

Joining her, they crouched in hiding, Kestrel peeking out to see who it was. What she saw: a large cavalry of Men with a couple banners. _The white horse upon green._ Kestrel remembered. _The Rohirrim._

Aragorn must have seen the same thing, because he came out from behind the boulders, beckoning the others to follow. "Riders of Rohan, what news from the Mark?" he called to the horsemen, who had already passed them.

They came riding back, surrounding the four travelers in a deadly circle of horses and spears. Aragorn put his hands up, motioning for the others to do the same. In front of them was the captain, with a horse's mane on his helmet, which hid his face.

"What business do an Elf, a Man, a woman, and a Dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!" he ordered.

Gimli smirked. "Give me your name, horsemaster, and I shall give you mine." _Gimli, you idiot!_

The captain handed his spear to another rider, then got off his horse. Looking straight at Gimli, he said, "I would cut off your head, DWARF, if it stood but a little higher from the ground." _Ooh! Would you like some ice for that burn, Gimli?_ Kestrel snickered.

Legolas whipped his bow up, fitting an arrow to it in one lightning-fast motion. "You would die before your stroke fell!"

"Who are you to laugh at me, woman?" the captain snapped, finally noticing and turning to look at Kestrel. She held his gaze defiantly.

"You call me woman as if it is a bad title, and yet I find myself equal to men, if not better." she said. _Gosh. Sexist people. Idiots._

The captain nodded conscendingly. "You should be at home with your children. What are you doing here, in the company of warriors?"

Kestrel flashed Lemrocalir from its sheath, pointing it at him. "Be forewarned that I carry a blade, and I can use it well." The circle of spears tightened. For a tense second, Legolas' arrow stayed at the ready, and Lemrocalir glinted dangerously. Then Aragorn pushed Legolas' bow down, at the same time shaking his head at Kestrel. Grudgingly, she lowered Lemrocalir.

"I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn. This is Gimli son of Glóin, Kestrel Hunting Hawk, and Legolas of the Woodland Realm. We are friends of Rohan, and of Théoden, your king." he said.

The spears that had been menacing them were withdrawn, and the captain took off his helmet. "Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe. Not even his own kin. I am Éomer, son of Éomund, and Third Marshal of the Riddermark. I am Théoden King's sister-son." _Éomer!_

"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished. The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked. And everywhere his spies slip past our nets." he finished.

Kestrel had sheathed her sword, but she still couldn't help feeling pissed at Éomer's sexism. She blurted out, "You're calling us spies? We're on the same side! Heck, we're probably on the same mission right now? My sword is stained with Orc-blood. And you're calling us spies?"

Aragorn held up a hand, stopping Kestrel's outburst. "We are no spies, as my companion said. We track a party of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They've taken two of our friends captive."

Éomer shook his head. "The Uruks are destroyed. We slaughtered them during the night."

Gimli stepped forward indignantly. "But there were two hobbits! Did you see two hobbits with them?" he asked urgently.

"They would be small, only children to your eyes." Aragorn added.

Éomer said nothing for a moment. And then, "We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burnt them." He pointed to a smoking pile in the distance, on the edge of the woods."

Gimli said, with a sob in his voice, "Dead?"

"I am sorry." Éomer bowed his head. _Holy sh-you have got to be kidding me! Merry and Pippin are awesome! They're not dead! I can't take this anymore! First Gandalf, then Boromir, and now Merry and Pippin! When will it end?_

Éomer whistled. "Hasufel! Arod! Lorthan!" Three horses came forward through the ranks: one brown, one white, and one black. "May these horses bear you to better fortune than their former masters. Farewell." he said, putting on his helmet and remounting his horse. _Wait, they followed the Rohirrim for what, five hours? Well, THESE horses are well trained…_

"Look for your friends, but do not trust to hope. It has forsaken these lands." he said, trotting past them. "We ride north!"

As the Rohirrim rode past them, Kestrel's mind was in turmoil. _They can't be dead. It's not possible. And…killed by the Rohirrim? They're just so awesome that it's not possible. Merry and Pippin must have escaped somehow._

"Kestrel? Kestrel! Snap out of it!" Aragorn said, snapping in her face.

She blinked. "What do you want?" She realized that Aragorn was handing the reins of the black horse, Lorthan, to her.

"You can ride, can't you?" he asked.

Kestrel nodded. "Yes." She had taken classes back on Earth, and though she wasn't good enough for contests and things like that, she certainly knew how to control a horse. She mounted the horse, marveling at how different the equipment was.

"But there are three…there's four of us!" she realized.

Gimli shook his head. "I would sooner walk than sit on the back of any beast so great, free or begrudged."

"But you must ride now, or you will slow us down!" insisted Aragorn, who was already on Hasufel's back.

"Come on then, Gimli. You can ride behind me." Legolas said. "But wait! I have no need of the saddle." He took the saddle and reins off, leaving them in the grass, and mounted Arod.

After a few tries, Gimli still couldn't get on behind Legolas. Kestrel dismounted, as did Aragorn, and with a few pushes and heaves, the dwarf was safely on the horse's back. He clung to Legolas, muttering. "It isn't natural. We're not made to be so high off the ground."

Kestrel mounted Lorthan, laughing. "Shut up, Gimli. Your fears are irrational."

"Perhaps to you, but I'm a dwarf, and we belong underground. If I remember correctly, you were slightly afraid to go into Moria." Gimli replied.

Riding off after Aragorn, she called over her shoulder, "And with good reason, too! Look what we found in there!" _Stupid darn dwarves! _She sighed.

As they rode over the plain to the smoldering pile of Orc carcasses, Kestrel's hope faltered with every step Lorthan took. There were just too much Orcs, and even if Merry and Pippin had survived traveling as captives, Éomer had said that they hadn't left any alive. _Please, PLEASE let them be alive! And hopefully not at the point of death…though it would be better for them to die looking at us then at the ugly face of an Orc._

As soon as they reached the pile, Gimli leaped off Arod, running over and sifting through the charred carcasses. Kestrel urged Lorthan towards the corpses, dismounting and hurrying over to Gimli. Suddenly a sob escaped the Dwarf.

"What is it?" Kestrel asked.

Gimli pulled a belt with a dagger sheath on it from underneath the body of an Orc. "It's one of their wee belts!"

Leaning closer, Kestrel could recognize it. "It's Pippin's!" She sank down to her knees, tears welling up and bursting out. "No!"

Legolas came over, placing a hand on her shoulder. He spoke a benediction in Elvish. "Hiro hyn hîdh ab 'wanath." Kestrel wasn't sure what it meant, but it had an air of sadness and resignment to it.

Aragorn furiously kicked a heavy Orc helmet. He screamed in rage and grief, sinking to his knees. "AAARGH!"

"We failed them." Gimli said, his voice shaking.

Kestrel shook her head. "We failed everyone. Gandalf is dead. Boromir is dead. Merry and Pippin are most likely dead. Frodo and Sam are gone, traveling by themselves to Mordor. We cannot follow them. Our part in this quest has failed."

Legolas bent down, whispering in her ear. "Have faith, Kestrel. Remember, you will not perish in this war. We need to defeat Sauron and rescue the other Heirs."

Suddenly something caught Kestrel's eye. There were obvious tracks in the soft ground. "What's this?"

Aragorn glanced over to the tracks. He ran his hands over them. "A hobbit lay here, and the other, here." He got up, following the tracks. "They crawled." Kestrel followed the Ranger, as did Legolas and Gimli. _Okay, I'm already lost. What the heck?_

"Their hands were bound." Aragorn said, kneeling down and scanning the ground for further clues. He picked up a frayed length of rope. "Their bonds were cut." _Okay, I get how you got that. DUH! You didn't need to tell us that 'their bonds were cut'!_

Aragorn got up, following the marks in the soft ground. "They ran over here. They were followed." Kestrel could now see clear tracks, leading towards the forest.

"They headed into the forest." she said, running along the tracks. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli followed her. Suddenly she stopped in front of the forest. It gave her an involuntary shudder. The trees were dense and dark with a sense of foreboding around them.

Gimli, who had arrived panting next to her, looked up. "Fangorn? What madness drove them in there?"

"Perhaps it was madness, and perhaps it was not. If I were a little hobbit, not well versed in the arts of fighting, I would have seen the forest as a refuge, a place to hide." Legolas said.

Kestrel nodded. "They were followed. Now let's hope that whatever was following them is dead, and that they are not. We're heading in, right, Aragorn?"

Aragorn stepped forward, entering the forest. "Right, Kestrel. Come on."

Kestrel entered a step behind Aragorn. "Come on! It's just a forest!"

"No. It's not just a forest. Keep your voice down. The trees in Fangorn can think, talk, and hear. Be careful." Legolas said in a low voice. Then, "Come ON, Gimli!" She looked back, seeing the dwarf framed in a small window of light – the plains of Rohan. He was hesitating, evidently frightened of the forest.

"It's all right!" she shouted to Gimli. He hesitated a moment longer, then took a step forward, soon reaching them.

Kestrel tsk-tsked and shook her head at Legolas. "And you tell ME to keep my voice down? Hypocrite."

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Even though they had made a couple of wrong turns in the day that had passed since they entered Fangorn, Aragorn seemed to know what he was looking at, even if the rest of them did not. _I suppose he's following tracks, though how he can see them in this dim half-light is beyond me._

Gimli stopped from in front of her, fingering a dark blob of…something on a leaf. He raised his hand, licking his finger. _Ewwww. What if that's something gross, like Orc blood?_

True to her expectations, he spat it out, wrinkling his nose. "Orc blood!" _Figures._

Aragorn suddenly stopped, bending down to examine the ground. "These are strange tracks." Kestrel hurried over, looking at the indents in the ground. _What the heck made those?_ The only thing that Kestrel could think of was the top of Gandalf's staff, now lost in Moria. _A bunch of branches…all higgledy-piggledy without any real order._

She looked back over her shoulder. Gimli was glancing around furtively, as if expecting something to leap out at them. "The air is so…close in here."

"And I suppose it's not in the equally big chambers in Moria, eh?" Kestrel asked sarcastically.

Legolas, also looking around, said, "This forest is old. Very old. Full of memory…and anger."

"What do you mean, anger?" she asked, curious.

"Memories, too. Memories of all the wrongs done to the forest, of all the trees burned, of all the animals killed. Anger has sprung from these memories." Legolas replied cryptically.

Kestrel pressed, "WHOSE anger?" Suddenly a echoing moan reverbrated through the trees. Gimli raised his axe.

"The trees are speaking to each other!" Legolas said in awe.

Aragorn whispered urgently, "Gimli!"

"Huh?" he replied, totally clueless.

"Lower your axe!" Kestrel replied. "You're threatening them!"

Gimli lowered his battle-axe. "Oh."

Legolas moved forward, whispering to Aragorn in Elvish. The Ranger replied with a question, also in Elvish.

"The White Wizard approaches." Legolas said with a low voice. "Be on your guard."

Kestrel unsheathed her dagger, poising it to throw as Aragorn warned, "Do not let him speak. He will put a spell on us. We must be quick."

Suddenly, she could see the bright light in front of her. She let fly her dagger, along with Gimli's axe and Legolas' arrow. They were all deflected harmlessly, the dagger and the axe clattering on the forest floor. _Shoot. Screw you, Saruman!_ With a cry, Aragorn dropped his sword. Kestrel noted with horror that the blade had become red-hot, still shining even after it was dropped. _What the heck?_

"You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits." the White Wizard – Saruman – said. His voice sounded familiar, though Kestrel could say with all certainity that she had never heard Saruman speak before.

Aragorn asked, "Where are they?"

"They passed this way the day before yesterday. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?" the White Wizard replied.

"Who are you? What do you want?" she asked through gritted teeth, her hand on Lemrocalir's hilt.

Aragorn ordered, "Show yourself!"

Higgledy-piggledy. I love that word-phrase-thingy. Review! There's a point to that shiny gray button down there!


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N. I'm really cranking these out, aren't I? Stupid wi-fi is driving me crazy…sorry! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own LotR. If I did, this wouldn't be a fanfiction. Oh, and I don't own Narnia (there's a little reference in there in case you're wondering.)**

Chapter 2

The impossibly bright light dimmed, and the White Wizard's features could now be seen clearly. It was…

"Gandalf?" Kestrel whispered imperceptibly.

Aragorn shook his head slowly. "It cannot be."

"Forgive me." Legolas said, bowing. Gimli followed suit. "I mistook you for Saruman." he continued.

"As did I." she said, bowing her head.

Gandalf answered, "I am Saruman." Kestrel gasped. "Or rather, Saruman as he should have been."

"But you fell!" Aragorn exclaimed.

The White Wizard nodded. "Through fire…and water. From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last, I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside. Darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time. Stars wheeled overhead and everyday was as long as a life-age of the earth. But it was not the end – I felt life in me again. I've been sent back until my task is done." He smiled.

"Gandalf?" The Ranger said, astonished.

The wizard looked confused and thoughtful. "Gandalf? Yes…" He slowly nodded. "That was what they used to call me. Gandalf the Grey." Again, he smiled.

Gimli ran forward. "Gandalf!"

"I am Gandalf the White. Gwaihir the Windlordbrought me to Lothlórien, and from there, I rode on. I come back to you now at the turn of the tide." Gandalf said.

Kestrel muttered under her breath, "What tide?"

"Ah. Kestrel Eradoni. Just as spunky as before, I see. I bring a message from the Lady of Light to you, Kestrel:

'_Where are the Heirs that thou set out to save?_

_To thee Lemrocalir was given, the Hawktalon Blade._

_There is hope yet in the heavens, peace to be bought._

_And yet protection from the void thou hath nought._

_Greenleaf will stand by thee, Death will not take him,_

_Courage! for the eternal light is growing dim._'"

After hearing these words, Kestrel shook her head. "Thank you, Gandalf, but I found that to be of little comfort, except for the fact that she is still thinking of me."

"Yes, she is. And to you, Aragorn, I was bidden to say this:

'_Where now are the Dúnedain, Elessar, Elessar?_

_Why do thy kinsfolk wander afar?_

_Near is the hour when the Lost should come forth,_

_And the Grey Company ride from the north._

_But dark is the path appointed for thee:_

_The Dead watch the road that leads to the Sea._'

To Legolas:

'_Legolas Greenleaf long under tree_

_In joy thou hast lived. Beware of the Sea!_

_If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore,_

_Thy heart shall then rest in the forest no more._'"

"Galadriel's words are dark, Gandalf the White. But perhaps Gimli's message is more cheerful?" Legolas asked.

Gandalf smiled. "To Gimli? Oh yes. She told me to give her greeting to you, Gimli son of Glóin. And also tell you this. 'Lockbearer, wherever thou goest my thought goes with thee. But have a care to lay thine axe to the right tree!"

"Hohohoho!" Gimli laughed. "Well then, let's find the hobbits! You say you know where they are, right, Gandalf?"

Gandalf shook his head. "I do indeed know where they are – in safe and trustworthy hands. But we are not going to go find them. Your path is far more dangerous. We must ride to Edoras."

"Edoras? But that's what, two days' ride from the southern fringe of Fangorn, as the crow flies?" Kestrel asked. "And anyways, what do we want there?"

Aragorn answered, "Did you not hear Éomer yesterday? Théoden King is ill. Under some spell, no doubt."

"But our horses – we left them at the edge of the forest!" Kestrel protested.

"We'll follow Gandalf, like it or not, Kestrel. I know you want to rescue Merry and Pippin, but Gandalf trusts their guardians, and I trust Gandalf. As should you." Legolas admonished.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

They came out on the southern border of the forest the next day, the bright sunlight almost blinding Kestrel after the darkness of Fangorn. They were at the top of a tall hill, the massive plains of Rohan spreading beneath them. Gandalf strode forward and whistled a high, utulating call. Soon, it was answered by a whinny, followed by the hoofbeats of a galloping horse. But as Gandalf's horsed came into view, she noticed that it was followed by three other horses: one white, one brown, and one black.

"That is one of the Mearas, unless my eyes are cheated by some spell!" Legolas exclaimed in wonder.

"And our horses too!" Kestrel gasped.

The horses had now galloped up the hill and stopped right in front of them. "Shadowfax." Gandalf said. "He's the lord of all horses and has been my friend through many dangers. Come now. It is a two days' journey to Edoras, even with horses of the Rohirrim such as you have."

Kestrel was about to mount Lorthan, but on second thought, she stopped. _Gimli'll probably need help getting on his horse. Again. _She sighed. And yes, Gimli did need help getting onto Arod behind Legolas.

"Why did you throw away the saddle? I could have used it, you know! Not all of us are Elves!" he complained, trying a third time.

Kestrel sighed again. "Yes, Gimli. We know. Not all of us are Elves. And the saddle is made for one rider, and one rider only. Now come on, or do Aragorn and I have to pick you up and place you on the back of the horse?"

"All right, all right! I've got this." he said, finally sitting himself on Arod's back. _Poor horse. _

Gandalf, cloaked in gray once more, called from Shadowfax, "Are you all ready then?"

"Yes, just wait a second!" she yelled back, mounting Lorthan.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Two and a half days later, Edoras – a city on a hill – came into view. Kestrel could see a huge mountain range behind it. _The Misty Mountains, perhaps?_

"Edoras and the Golden Hall of Meduseld. There dwells Théoden, King of Rohan, whose mind is overthrown. Saruman's hold over Théoden King is now very strong." Gandalf said.

Kestrel asked. "And what is our purpose here?"

"First, we must help Théoden throw off the bonds of Saruman. And then…it's anybody's guess." Gandalf answered.

As they rode up to the gates of Edoras, Kestrel heard a ripping sound coming from high above. She looked up and saw a banner ripping away from its pole. It flew with the wind for a couple seconds, before floating down to land next to Hasufel, Aragorn's horse. _I would have laughed SO FRIGGIN HARD if it landed on him…_Kestrel thought, barely able to keep from snickering.

Her lighthearted mood quickly dissolved as they entered the capital city of Rohan. Everyone was dressed in black. This by itself Kestrel didn't mind – after all, she was wearing all black except for her gray Elvish cloak – but with the added silence and averted eyes, she began to feel uncomfortable.

Apparently Gimli was too. "You'd find more cheer in a graveyard." he said, looking around uncomfortably.

Kestrel urged Lorthan on, catching up with Arod. "Perhaps it is a graveyard. Somebody's died. Somebody important." she whispered.

"Well, for Eru's sake, let's hope it's not Théoden King." Legolas replied. "That would not be good."

"King of understatement much?" Kestrel asked, smirking.

When they reached the stairs to Meduseld, Kestrel dismounted, as did everybody else. She tied Lorthan's reins to a post along with Hasufel. Legolas whispered to Arod in Elvish, a command that Kestrel took to be "stay". Shadowfax stayed with the other horses, though it was clear that he was spoiling for a good gallop.

Once they reached the top of the stairs, a host of guards surrounded the doors. The captain, a stocky fellow with a thick orange beard, said, "I cannot allow you before Théoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhame. By order of…Gríma Wormtongue."

"Who's this Gríma you speak of? What authority does she have?" Kestrel asked, pushing forward. "Or is she just a lowly servant, taking advantage of Théoden's condition?"

The captain shook his head. "Gríma is not a woman nor a servant. He is the advisor to the King."

"Since when?" Kestrel asked angrily. "I'm not going to –" She was silenced by the touch of Gandalf's hand on her arm.

"Calm down, young Hawk. Do as he says." He nodded to the others, who began taking out their weapons and handing them over. Kestrel sighed in resignment and unstrapped her bow and quiver. Handing these over, she then unsheathed her dagger and Lemrocalir, handing the latter over with some reluctance.

"This blade was given to me by Galadriel, the Lady of the Wood. If any harm comes to it, any at all, it will be you who pay." she hissed at the guards, who nodded.

The captain pointed at Gandalf's white staff. "Your staff."

"Hmm? Oh. You would not part an old man from his walking stick." Gandalf said innocently. After a moment's hesitation, the captain nodded, turning around and opening the doors. Legolas offered Gandalf his arm to lean on, and the wizard accepted, walking into the hall. Aragorn, Gimli, and Kestrel followed, Kestrel noting with interest the five axes leaning against the wall. _FIVE? And we wondered why he couldn't run that fast…the little brat!_

The hall was dark and moody, and the slumped figure on the throne at the other side contrasted sharply with what she had been expecting. As soon as he saw the doors opening, the little man dressed in black next to the throne whispered something into Théoden's ear. _Okay. I feel like he is a woman. He's got that long hair, the fur lined cloak…I remember Edmund in the first Narnia movie – _"_But it's a girl's coat!_"_ and that coat looked exactly like Gríma's, only it was gray. Seriously. What is up with that?_

"The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Théoden King." Gandalf's strong voice rang out against the walls as they proceeded nearer the throne. Kestrel heard heavy footsteps behind her. She glanced back. A group of hostile men was following them. _What do you f***ing want?_ The man/woman Gríma – because that was the only thing she could think to call he/she – bent down to whisper in the king's ear again. 

With effort, Théoden said, "Why…should I welcome you, Gandalf…Stormcrow?" He glanced at the man/woman by his side.

"A just question, my liege." he/she answered, standing up. _He/she's got the voice of a male…but I've heard girls who have that deep voice too. Only time will tell, I suppose._

He/she walked towards Gandalf. "Late is the hour in which this conjurer chooses to appear. Láthspell I name you. Ill news is an ill guest."

"Be silent! Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth." Gandalf snapped. "I have not passed through fire and death to bandy words with a witless worm!" _Alliteration!_ Gandalf uplifted his staff, holding it against Gríma.

He/she backed away in fear. "His staff! I TOLD you to take the wizard's staff!"

Suddenly the men that had been following them jumped into action. Kestrel whirled around as soon as the air changed. Luckily, they were unarmed. One of them was heading straight towards Kestrel. She tensed, waiting for him to strike.

When he was almost upon her, she shot out a foot, catching him right in the stomach and winding him heavily. "You-you'll pay for that!" he gasped, clutching his stomach.

"With what? A swift punch to the face? Yes, I think that will do quite nicely." Kestrel smiled grimly and punched him in the face, knocking him out, but (hopefully) doing no lasting damage. Leaping over his fallen form, she ran towards the rest of the men, who were all grouped around Aragorn and Gimli. Legolas was still supporting Gandalf. _Idiots. They probably thought one man was more then enough to take me out._

She threw a swift roundhouse kick, latching her foot around the back of one man's neck and throwing him to the ground. Another one turned, grinning at her, showing a mouth full of rotten teeth. "What are you doing here, young miss? You should be at home tending the fire!"

"Oh no you didn't. I've just been insulted by sexists for the last time!" she snarled as she flew towards him, her fist flying out and catching him in the throat. He fell with a gurgle. Panting from the exhiliration of battle, she looked around, noting that every man was felled. That is, every man that had attacked them. She saw a man/woman caught underneath Gimli's boot.

"Good catch!" she called, smiling. Suddenly she heard a menacing laugh coming from Théoden. She looked on in worry and astonishment.

"You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey!" he was saying.

Gandalf threw his gray cloak back. A piercing white light filled the hall. "But Gandalf the White does, you idiot." she whispered. Théoden cowered in his throne, shielding his eyes from the blinding light.

Gandalf's commanding voice rang throughout the hall. "I will draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound!"

Kestrel turned around, hearing the sound of more footsteps. _Not more sexists!_ Luckily for her sanity, it was not. Instead, she saw a blonde girl, around 25 or 26, approaching. She saw Gandalf and Théoden, and instantly, she rushed to the king's side. Or tried to. Because Aragorn grabbed her arm before she made it. "Wait." he whispered.

"If I go, Théoden dies." Saruman cackled through Théoden's body.

Gandalf shook his hand, lifting his staff higher. "You did not kill me; you will not kill him!"

"Rohan is mine!" Saruman said, again through Théoden's mouth.

Gandalf thrust his staff forward commandingly. "Begone!" He lunged towards the king, and Théoden was thrown back in his throne. He moaned and slumped forward. Aragorn must have released the lady, because she ran forward to support the king.

Théoden's head rose again as he began to take on the look of himself – much younger then he looked at first. His eyes lost their rheumy glaze, and he whispered, "I know your face. Éowyn…Éowyn."

The lady – Éowyn – smiled and nodded, tears streaming down her face. Théoden looked around, seeing the visitors for the first time. "Gandalf?"

"Breathe the free air again, my friend." he said, smiling. A ray of sunlight came shining through a window, piercing the darkness like a needle. Soon the hall was filled with light, casting off the gloomy pallor.

Théoden stood up. "Dark have been my dreams of late." he said, looking down at his shaking hands.

"Your fingers would remember their old strength better if they grasped your sword." Gandalf said. The captain of the guard immediately ran up, clutching a elaborate broadsword by its sheath. To Kestrel, the hilt made up of two horseheads looked like a heart. _That's just weird._ Théoden's fingers quested over the golden pommel before slowly making their way to the hilt, drawing it and gazing in wonder on the shiny steel.

Kestrel heard a whimper and a scuffle in a corner. Instinctively, she spun around. Gríma was trying to escape, but Gimli had taken hold of his/her cloak and pulled him/her back. "Now none of that, you worm!"

The captain beckoned his second-in-command over, and together, they picked up the struggling man/woman and threw him out the doors and down the stairs. She heard his/her groans as he/she tumbled down the stairs. Running out the door, she watched in satisfaction as he/she finally came to a stop, cowering against the edge of the landing.

Seeing Théoden advancing towards him/her, he/she cried, "I've only…EVER served you, my lord!"

Théoden pointed the tip of his sword towards Gríma. "You would have me crawling on all fours like a BEAST!" he said furiously.

"Send me not from your side!" Gríma groveled. "Please, I beg you!"

With a roar, Théoden whirled his sword up, preparing to slice the cowering man/woman in half. But Aragorn desperately clutched his arm. "No, my lord! No, my lord. Let him go. Enough blood has been spilled on his account." Gríma chose this time to get up and run for it.

"Out of my way!" He/she jumped on a black horse, riding out of Edoras and heading for who knows where. _Maybe Isengard?_

The captain of the guard shouted, "Hail, Théoden King!" The whole population of Edoras kneeled, and Kestrel followed suit, along with Legolas and Gimli. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Aragorn was slow to kneel. _Maybe it's because he's destined to be King. Legolas is a Prince, but a Prince of the Elves and that means nothing, because it's highly unlikely that Thranduil will die anytime soon._

Théoden turned around to reenter the hall, allowing everybody to stand, when he turned back. "Where is Théodred? Where is my son?"

An awkward silence followed this, then Éowyn spoke up. "My lord, your son…he is dead. He died three days ago, while you were under Gríma Wormtongue's spell."

"Not Gríma's, but Saruman's!" Kestrel said. "It was Saruman who possessed you. Gríma Wormtongue was only an instrument, a tool to make sure you were overthrown."

"S-s-Saruman? Then Éomer was right! But…where is he, my sister-son?" Théoden asked franctically.

Éowyn shook her head sadly. "Banished. By order of Wormtongue."

"Take me to Théodred. When we have mourned his death…Saruman will pay!"

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Kestrel did not attend the funeral of Prince Théodred. Her reasoning: _So much death. So much pain. So much suffering. What can I do about it? To attend the funeral of somebody I never knew will only hurt me. And who will it help?_ So instead, she stayed in the room that she was sharing with Lady Éowyn, polishing her weapons and armor. _I hope I can get a good chance to use these sometime. Battle is stirring in my veins. And memories are returning to me – memories of a village in a secluded valley, memories of fighting lessons, memories of a boy my age. But I can't remember any names. And still, the memories that had been placed in my mind are still there. Memories of growing up in upstate New York. Memories of playing in the snow with Angel. _

_ Angel…where is she? I should know by now that she has Sue powers. It would be the thought of a fool to think that she got stuck in Moria. But she's probably going to do something reckless, something to get her almost-killed…stupid Sue. And to think that she used to be my best friend! What happened to her? What turned her into a Mary-Sue? Was it just something that would have happened eventually? Or was it watching the movies? Or…what if she was changed by the Destroyers? To hinder my quest? And there is no way to get her to go back to Earth, where she won't do anything stupid. And there's no way Aragorn'll fall in love with her…heck, Arwen is so much better!_

_ And then there's Legolas…I still have my doubts about what Lady Galadriel said. I fear that this will turn me into a Mary-Sue, just like Angel. And that is the LAST thing I want! But…Legolas is my fellow Guardian. He's my friend and ally, and hopefully, nothing more. If anything else comes of it…I swear, I shall be very…I don't know. I mean, what I'm going through is every Suethor's dream, isn't it? And yet…I have no idea what to be thinking. I have a mission to complete, and that is NOT having Legolas fall in love with me. If it was…I would just kill myself. Really. I'm just like that – Suefics are so annoying!_

Suddenly the door opened. Kestrel looked up, seeing Éowyn in the doorway. Her face could have been set in stone, yet tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Are you okay?" Kestrel asked. _Fine, I know it's a stupid thing to ask someone who just got back from a funeral, but what am I supposed to say?_

Éowyn didn't answer and was about to walk over to her bed when she saw Kestrel's weapons. "You're a warrior?"

"Yes." Kestrel nodded.

Éowyn smiled faintly. "Most men think that women should stay home when there is a war."

"That's what I've experienced." Kestrel said, inwardly seething at the sexists. "It's getting on my nerves."

Éowyn looked like she was about to say something when a shout rang out from the hall. "Horse sighted! Two riders!"

"We'd better go. They might have news of the war." Kestrel said, sheathing her weapons and belting them on.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Kestrel ran out of Edoras towards the horse on the horizon. There were two children, a boy about 12 years old and a girl of about seven. Both were dirty, frightened, and tired. Kestrel helped lead the horse into the stables while the children were taken to Meduseld and given food.

When she entered the hall, the two children were busily slurping soup like there was no tomorrow at one table, Gimli was drinking beer and eating at another, and Aragorn was smoking at a third. Gandalf was sitting by the throne in which Théoden King was slumped in a position that looked somewhat like a facepalm.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Easterlings and Southrons. Allies of Saruman and the Dark Lord. They're attacking the villages that are the closest to Isengard. These children, Éothain and Freda, came from the most recent one. They say that almost everybody was slaughtered, but some managed to escape." Aragorn said.

Éowyn stood up from where she had been sitting next to the little girl. "They had no warning. They were unarmed. Now the wildmen are moving through the Westfold, burning as they go. Rick, cot, and tree."

"Where's Mama?" Freda asked, looking up. Éowyn shushed her and wrapped a thick shawl around her.

Gandalf pointed out, "This is but a taste of the terror that Saruman will unleash. All the more potent for he is driven now by fear of Sauron. Ride out and meet him head on. Draw him away from your women and children." He put a hand on the arm of Théoden's throne. "You must fight!"

Aragorn took the pipe out of his mouth. "You have two thousand good men riding north as we speak. Éomer is loyal to you. His men will return and fight for their king."

"Send a rider! Tell him to find Éomer and bring him back. There's no way you can retreat now. This is war." Kestrel stated.

Théoden shook his head. "They will be three hundred leagues from here by now. Éomer cannot help us. I know what it is that you want of me. But I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war."

"Open war is upon you, whether you risk it or not." Aragorn said.

Théoden stood up angrily, advancing on Aragorn. "When last I looked, Théoden, not Aragorn, was king of Rohan." And at this tense moment, Gimli took a swig of his beer and burped loudly. _Idiot._

"Then what is the king's decision?" Gandalf asked.

Théoden remained silent for a while, causing everybody except for Gimli to feel awkward, then he spoke. "We move to Helm's Deep."

Gandalf stood up angrily. "Then I will not go. I leave in search of Éomer and the Rohirrim." He strode out of the hall, Kestrel, Aragorn, Gimli (who took a hasty gulp before leaving) and Legolas followed in his wake.


	3. Chapter 3

A.N. People, I need suggestions! I've thought up of two more worlds for them to go to after Middle-earth (Narnia and the Edge) and I need two more!

**Disclaimer: You know by now. Or, you should…And, I don't own Narnia either.**

Chapter 3

Gandalf speedwalked to the stables with Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Kestrel in tow. "Helm's Deep!" he muttered angrily. "They flee to the mountains when they should stand and fight! Who will defend them if not their king?"

"He's only doing what he thinks is best for his people. Helm's Deep HAS saved them in the past." said Aragorn, the voice of reason.

Gandalf stormed, "There is no way out of that ravine. Théoden is walking into a trap. He thinks he's leading them to safety, but what they will get is a massacre. Théoden has a strong will, but I fear for him. I fear for the survival of Rohan. He will need you before the end, Aragorn. The people of Rohan will need you. The defenses HAVE to hold."

"They will hold." Aragorn said quietly.

When they entered the stables, all the horses began whinnying and pawing the ground nervously. That is, all the horses except for Shadowfax, who waited patiently in his stall at the other end of the stable.

"Calm down, Lorthan." Kestrel soothed, pulling an apple from her pocket. "I've brought a little treat for you." She held out the apple to the black horse's muzzle, allowing him to eat it. "You've served me well."

Suddenly Shadowfax with Gandalf riding him burst out of his stall and Kestrel narrowly avoided being run over. _Horses need headlights. Or horns_. _Cars do…_

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

After exiting the stables, Kestrel made a beeline to the Golden Hall, hoping to get in a spot of sword practice. But when she entered, she noticed Éowyn opening a chest. Moving closer, and yet hiding behind pillars, she watched as Éowyn took out a sword. Unsheathing it, she ran a hand down the steel, testing to see if it was straight. Turning around, she sliced the air a few times.

It was then that Kestrel noticed Aragorn coming up behind Éowyn, looking pretty interested in what she was doing. _Seriously. You never really questioned me using a blade, and yet…here's Éowyn, and you're probably like _"_OMG! A girl that can use a sword!_"_ Stupid sexists. _Éowyn whipped around with her sword up, and at the same time, Aragorn parried the blow with one of his knives. "You have some skill with a blade." he said, smiling.

Moving around again, Kestrel noticed that Éowyn's eyes were wide. _Please don't tell me she's fallen in love with him. One Angel is more than enough._ Éowyn suddenly pushed Aragorn's knife away with her sword, stepping back and sheathing it.

"Women of this country learned long ago – those without swords can still die upon them. I fear neither death nor pain." Kestrel silently cheered. _If she's like me, I'll overlook the crush on Aragorn._

Aragorn stepped forward, asking, "What do you fear, my lady?"

Éowyn closed the chest. "A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire."

"You are a shieldmaiden of Rohan. I do not think that will be your fate." Aragorn said, sheathing his knife with a click and walking away. Éowyn stared after him.

Kestrel stepped from behind a pillar. "Well, Éowyn, warriormaid of Rohan, what do you say to a bit of practice with me?"

"I'd be glad to, lady Kestrel." Éowyn said, opening the chest again.

With a nod, Kestrel unsheathed Lemrocalir and stood in a fighting stance, waiting for Éowyn. Suddenly, the lady of Rohan struck her sword. Instinctively, Kestrel struck back, forcing Éowyn backwards. But this opened up her side, and Éowyn danced out of reach, striking back at Kestrel's side. Kestrel skipped back, leaping onto a bench and waiting for Éowyn to come to her.

In a sweeping arc, Éowyn hit Lemrocalir again and backed Kestrel onto the table. She leaped off, coming down to meet the lady of Rohan again. Éowyn feinted at her chest before striking at her head, but luckily, Kestrel brought her sword up just in time, parrying the blow.

They fought like this for a couple minutes, Kestrel leaping up onto some barrel, Éowyn backing off to go outside. Finally, after a hard-fought sparring session, Kestrel finally flicked the sword out of Éowyn's hands.

Smiling, she sheathed Lemrocalir. "Well, that was fun, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was." Éowyn said, fetching her sword. "You're really good. May I ask where you learned how to handle a sword? You are not of either Rohan or Gondor."

Kestrel shook her head. "I was brought up in a remote village where I was taught swordplay and archery. It's what I'm good at." _Well, I know that the village on Yetali was remote, because nobody ever stumbled upon it…that is, in the six years that I lived there. _

"I trust that I can try again sometime?" Éowyn asked.

"Try what?" asked Kestrel, puzzled.

Éowyn smiled faintly. "Disarming you."

"Oh, of course! Any time." Kestrel agreed. "I haven't met any female warriors in all of Middle-earth. It makes me feel…weird. Like I'm an outcast."

Éowyn nodded. "Yes. The world is geared towards males, isn't it? While we're supposed to stay home and tend the fire."

"If somebody ever makes me do that…they're going to be in BIG trouble. The day I stay home from a battle will be the day that pigs fly." Kestrel said, smiling.

Somebody said from behind her, "Oh, look! See that flying pig over there?"

Kestrel spun around, seeing that it was Legolas. "You-you-you friggin IDIOT!"

"Sorry. I couldn't resist." he said, shrugging. But as soon as Kestrel turned around, satisfied, she saw Éowyn smile and wink.

"WHAT THE HECK?"

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Kestrel went to bed early that night but she couldn't fall asleep. Especially with the things on her mind. _Screw that friggin man/woman. Screw Sauron. Screw Saruman. Screw the Ring. Screw the Destroyers. Screw Angel._ And then, just as she was thinking that, a big flash of pink came from the horizon. _You have GOT to be friggin kidding me. _Knowing that she wouldn't be able to ignore it, she got up, strapped on her sword and quiver, put on her cloak, and stealthily crept out of the room, trying not to wake Éowyn.

She took the steps of Meduseld two at a time, running on silent feet out of Edoras and towards the flashes of pink glitter that persisted in the distance. _Angel. Idiot. Stupid Mary-Sue. Just what we need now._ As she got closer to the flashes, she could see Angel in her hot pink glittery dress, fending off a rogue troop of Orcs with her magic. _She's got it handled. She's a Mary-Sue. Of course she's got it handled. But if I let her fight it out, I'll never be able to bring her back to Edoras. Which I need to do. Unfortunately._

So she let fly an arrow, followed by another and another. The pack of Orcs turned around, snarling at this new assailant. "So, what do we have here? Another girl who thinks she can fight?"

"Oh, of course I can!" Kestrel said as she sent an arrow whistling into the mocking Orc's forehead. "Come ON, Angel! Let's get to Edoras!"

"wheres that?"

Kestrel sighed. "Um, that very prominent city on that hill that's very visible to us? The capital of Rohan?"

"whats that?"

Kestrel sighed again. "Never mind what Rohan is. It's a country. But you're coming back with me to Edoras, like it or not. Come ON!"

"is eragon there?"

Kestrel was about to reply no just to spite Angel when she realized that that might be the only way to get Angel to come back with her. "Yes. Now seriously!"

"2 busy fightin u cant!"

"In case you haven't noticed, I killed four Orcs in the time span of a minute!" Kestrel snapped, whirling around and plunging her dagger into yet another Orc's chest. "Five. In two minutes."

"im not going"

Shaking her head, Kestrel marched over to the pink glitter-clad figure, seizing her by the arm and bodily dragging her away. "If you ever want to see Aragorn again, you'd best come with me NOW!"

"ok then" They took off at a run, or rather, Angel did. And she more like glided/walked, as befits a Mary-Sue. Kestrel stayed back, finishing the rest of the Orcs off, though she did get a nasty gash on her arm in the process.

"hurry up!i need 2 c eragon!" Angel was yelling. Kestrel quickly collected her arrows for further use, sprinting back to Angel.

"yay!i get 2 c eragon sweeti agan!" _I'm sorry, Aragorn. But it was the only way._

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

They set out for Helm's Deep the next morning. It was a bright and sunny morning, but Kestrel's spirits were dampened by the amount of sleep she had had the previous night, plus the fact that the gash on her arm was throbbing. And that she had to look after Angel. And that Angel was blabbing on and on about "eragon sweeti". And that everybody else was in super high spirits, especially Gimli, Éowyn, and Aragorn. Even Lorthan, who she was riding, had an extra spring to his step. Legolas had run ahead to serve as a scout.

"It's true," Gimli was saying, bouncing along on Arod, "you don't see many dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance that they are often mistaken for dwarf men!" Éowyn, who was leading Arod, smiled and looked back at Aragorn.

Kestrel, who was behind them, heard Aragorn whisper, "It's the beards."

"And this, in turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no Dwarf women. And that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground!" Gimli said. Éowyn laughed heartily as the dwarf continued. "Which is, of course ridiculous!" He suddenly gave a shout as Arod galloped away. Éowyn scrambled to grab the reins again, but to no avail. Gimli fell off after a short distance, landing with a thump.

"It's all right, it's all right! Nobody panic. That was deliberate. It was deliberate!" Gimli said, struggling to get up. Éowyn lended him a hand.

"Yeah, and I'm Angel." Kestrel muttered.

Aragorn looked back, waiting for her and Lorthan to catch up. "Is that a bright pink dress I see?" he said, smiling.

"You're the second person who's made fun of me in the past two days." Kestrel grumbled, turning aside.

The Ranger smiled. "Now, now. What's wrong? You haven't been yourself today."

"It's a lot of things. HER, for one." Kestrel turned in her saddle to send a glare at Angel, who stood out in the throng of brown- and black-clothed women and children. "And then there's the scant four hours of sleep I had last night, before YOU came and thumped on our door. And at the break of dawn, no less!"

Aragorn shook his head. "But you were happy back when we were searching for Merry and Pippin, and then, you didn't get any sleep for three days!"

"It's also this." Kestrel said, rolling up her sleeve to the elbow. The angry red gash had healed slightly, but it was still throbbing with every move she made.

Aragorn asked, "How did that happen?"

"Saving Angel's skin. Even though she didn't need to be saved. Stupid rogue troop of Orcs." Kestrel groused.

"A rogue troop of Orcs?" Aragorn asked, concerned. "Orcs don't run by themselves."

"Well, they didn't seem like they had any mission. Just fooling around, ambushing Angel. And of course, I couldn't let them get away." Kestrel said.

Aragorn shook his head. "Those weren't rogues. I don't know if there's any such thing as a rogue Orc. They must have been sent to attack the people of Edoras before they could make it to Helm's Deep. And you say you slew them single-handed?"

"No. Angel had already taken out a lot of them before I arrived. And most of the ones I killed were by arrow." Kestrel said, looking back at Angel again. It was clear that she was well loved by the others, but maybe it was just Sue-charm. _Screw her. Idiot. _

Suddenly a thought occurred to Kestrel, and she turned Lorthan around, guiding him among the villagers until she came to Angel. "Angel!"

"what do u want?"

Kestrel stopped, looking Angel in the eyes. "If there's a battle, you HAVE to stay with the villagers."

"y should i listen 2 u?"

"Angel! Listen to me! Yes, I know you have your stupid battle magic, but you don't know anything of real fighting. If you actually joined the fight, somebody would have to keep an eye on you. And that job would fall to lucky me. And then I wouldn't be able to seriously fight, which is what I do best." Kestrel explained.

"but eragon needs me!"

Kestrel, exasperated, shook her head. "No, he doesn't. And his heart will rest easy knowing that you're safe. Matter closed." She trotted away.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

The next day, Kestrel's spirits still hadn't lifted, although the gash on her arm was healing nicely after Aragorn took a look at it. The lack of action both irritated and worried her, ever since Aragorn had mentioned his own thoughts about the band of Orcs that had attacked Angel. _There weren't that many. But either they were a backup troop, the remnants of a force, or a scouting party. But something's up. I can feel it._

Suddenly, Aragorn's shout broke her bubble. "Wargs! We're under attack!" A commotion broke out from behind her. The villagers were panicking, crying and running for cover.

"Get them out of here!" Aragorn shouted.

Théoden ordered, "All riders to the head of the column!" Kestrel urged Lorthan forward. _Yes! A battle! Finally! _She could see the small figure of Legolas standing on a ridge, watching the Warg-riders coming closer and closer.

As she rode to the front, she passed by Éowyn, who was heatedly arguing with her uncle. "I can fight!"

"No! You must do this…for me." Théoden said, looking into her eyes.

Seeing Kestrel passing by, Éowyn pointed to her. "Kestrel's fighting!"

"It was what she was born to do. And she has no commitments. What will happen to the people of Edoras if I fall? To Rohan?" Théoden asked. "Please, Éowyn."

Kestrel spurred Lorthan on, anxious to get to the battle. As she approached the ridge, she saw Legolas bring one, than another Warg and rider down. When he heard the sound of approaching horses, he turned around, and with a smooth move, he swung up onto Arod in front of Gimli. _I've always thought that was totally impossible…whatever. Yay! Battle! Oh, holy crap. I forgot to check if Angel stayed with the villagers. She probably didn't, if I judge my luck correctly._

"CHARGE!" Théoden yelled, pointing forward with his sword. Kestrel didn't hesitate, and soon Lorthan was bounding amidst the Warg-riders, Kestrel gutting the Orcs with her sword.

"Five…second Warg…six…seven…third Warg…" she counted breathlessly with each kill. A riderless Warg leaped up from in front of her, startling Lorthan, who bucked. Kestrel fell off. "Holy crap!" Lorthan stood over her, lashing out with his hooves and teeth at anybody who came.

Kestrel shakily got up, flailing about for Lemrocalir. She couldn't find it. "Shoot. You have got to be kidding me." Unsheathing her dagger, she leaped back onto Lorthan. "Come on. We've got a lost sword to find." The Warg that had startled Lorthan before came back, leaping out and pushing Kestrel out of the saddle. It pinned her with its paws, snarling and baring its teeth. _What I wouldn't give for Lemrocalir right now. Instead, I have this crappy throwing dagger, which really can't do anything in such a small space._ She struggled to free herself from the Warg's viselike grip, but it was no use.

Finally, resigning herself to her fate, she relaxed, loosening the hold on the dagger in her palm. It slid, its sharp edge slightly nicking the Warg's back paw. It yelped, releasing Kestrel slightly. That was all it took for her to spring up and stab the Warg in the mouth. Dusting herself off, she stood there for a second, looking around for Lorthan. The black horse was nowhere to be seen. She swore loudly, not caring who heard her, and spun around to thrust her dagger into the chest of a Wargless rider..

A Warg and rider came bounding past, seemingly oblivious to her. Making up her mind, she sprinted after them, dagger in hand. But the Warg ran too fast for her, and she soon stopped, knowing that it was futile. She pulled her bow from its sheath, setting an arrow to it and letting it fly. It hit the Warg-rider's back with a satisfying thud, and the Orc fell off with a cry.

The Warg turned back, licked his lips when he saw Kestrel, and walked towards her as if on a leisurely stroll. Kestrel fitted another arrow to her bow, aiming and firing it right into the Warg's mouth. "That was…fifth Warg, ninth Orc? Dang it, Legolas and Gimli probably have like fifteen each. And the battle's pretty much over. Shoot. I'll never live it down."

She heard a moan coming from beside her. An Orc gasped, blood trickling from the corner of its mouth. She stabbed in the chest with her dagger, and it gasped and grew still. "Ten." Realizing that that might be a quick way to up her count, she was soon sprinting among the corpses, finding as many Orcs as she could that were still alive, but just barely.

"Aragorn?" she suddenly heard Legolas shout.

"Aragorn!" Gimli joined in.

It was then that Kestrel noticed that Aragorn was nowhere to be seen. "Aragorn! Where are you?" She noticed the tracks of a Warg in the dust, dotted with blood here and there. Something had been dragged by it, and the tracks led over the edge of a cliff. She ran to the cliff, looking down. At the far bottom, a swift-moving river churned. There was no sign of Aragorn.

A coughy, wheezing laugh came from behind her. She whirled around, noticing an Orc in the throes of death. "What is wrong with you?"

Gimli came up on the other side of the Orc with Legolas, holding the blade of his axe to the Orc's throat. "Tell me what happened and I will ease your passing."

"He's…" The Orc coughed before continuing. "dead! Took a little tumble of the cliff!"

Kestrel leaned down and snarled, "You little piece of crap!"

"You lie!" Legolas snapped, bending down and grasping the Orc's throat. But it would say no more, laughing one last time before dying.

"He's got something in his fist!" Kestrel noticed, glancing at its clenched fist. Legolas pried it open, revealing the pendant that Aragorn always wore. Kestrel guessed that it was a gift from Arwen.

Kestrel ran back to the cliff, staring down at the rushing river below. Legolas, Gimli, and Théoden King joined her. The drop down was sharp and rocky, not to mention far. She shook her head. _Not again! Death is running unchecked in Middle-earth. And Aragorn was…not a Guardian, exactly, but trained like one. _

"Get the wounded on horses. The wolves of Isengard will return…Leave the dead." Théoden said to his men. Legolas turned to him, barely concealed fury in his eyes.

The King of Rohan put a hand on his shoulder. "Come." He walked away, leaving Kestrel, Legolas, and Gimli staring down at the river.

Suddenly, she heard a high-pitched scream. Whipping around, she saw a telltale pink dress. Running towards Angel, she shouted, "Angel! What are you DOING here? I TOLD you to stay with the villagers!"

Angel ran past her, stopping at the edge of the cliff. "no.i have 2 save myy is my job." She stood silent for a moment before jumping off the cliff. Kestrel rushed to the edge, too late to save Angel. She stood there, looking down as the pink-clad figure soon turned into a pink glittery speck in the water, rushing away. _Good riddance._

"At least there is some small good in this great loss." Legolas remarked.

Kestrel was about to nod, but then checked herself and shook her head when another idea came to her. "Yes, but if we believe that Aragorn somehow survived that, then we have to believe that SHE did too."

"I am loath to leave this place, but the people of Rohan need us." Gimli said, before shouldering his axe and waddling off to the Rohirrim.

Kestrel strode after him, calling over her shoulder, "Come on, we'd best go." Legolas nodded and followed her, although he took one last look at the edge of the cliff.

Suddenly, he stopped and kneeled down at the body of a Warg. He picked something up, walking up to Kestrel. She gasped. In his hands, Legolas held Lemrocalir, her precious sword.

"I believe this belongs to you…" he said, offering it to her.

With a smile, she took it and sheathed it. "Thank you."

"You're welcome…Hunting Hawk." He was about to walk away when he stopped, turned around, and kissed Kestrel lightly on the cheek. Smiling at her, he strode away to where Arod and Gimli were waiting.

Kestrel stared after him, putting a hand to her cheek. _Oh my gosh. What just happened? Legolas did NOT just give me a nickname. And he definitely did NOT just kiss me. What is this? _Suddenly, the scene from the Mirror of Galadriel flashed before her eyes once again.

Angel was falling…falling…falling. Suddenly a wave of cold hit her, and she blacked out.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Angel slowly opened her eyes. A lion's face loomed before her, and she instinctively yelped and tried to crawl away.

"Who are you? Where am I?" she asked.

The lion smiled and replied, "I am Aslan, the Great Lion. And you are in Narnia."

"Narnia?" she gasped. "You mean, where High King Peter lives?"

"Yes." Aslan nodded. "You have been called here for a reason, Angel Destiny Litwell."

Puzzled, Angel asked, "What do you mean?"

"Aragorn needs your help. His life is in danger. Go now, and you will rescue him." Aslan said. "I have a gift for you." An shimmering white unicorn trotted up, bowing when she saw Angel.

"Oh, thank you!" Angel said, climbing onto the horse easily. "Where do I go?"

"Where I will send you." Aslan breathed into the air, and the scenery changed once more.

And as you know, that was how the scene went to her deluded Sue eyes. But really:

"who r u?where am i?where is eragon?"

"nanria?where wiliam mosly lives?"

Aslan: "No. High King Peter lives here. Heed Kestrel. She knows what is best for you. If you followed her directions, you would never have ended up in the state you're in."

"yah lik im goin 2 litsen 2 tat crakjob."

Aslan: "You should. Go now, and you will be safe in the fortress of Helm's Deep."

"wheres that?"

Aslan's patience was wearing thin. "I will send you to someone who can take you there."

Aragorn slowly opened his eyes to see the wet muzzle of Hasufel, his horse. It kneeled down, helping him to get on. He clung on as Hasufel stood up, going at a slow but steady canter. Suddenly, a bright flash of light blinded him, and when he opened his eyes again, Angel on a unicorn was standing right next to him.

"eragon!"

Aragorn groaned. He would never be able to go at a gallop at his state, and anything less than that would make him have to deal with Angel. He chose the lesser of the two evils. "You're coming with me."

As Angel squeed with delight, Aragorn headmaned. You've got to be kidding me. And a note: The unicorn was made with her Sue powers. It really existed.

**Well? How was it? Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

A.N. Yay! Chapter 4! And I just thought of yet ANOTHER place to take them-Araluen! (as in Ranger's Apprentice) One more to go!

**Disclaimer: How many times do I have to do this? I do not, repeat, DO NOT own LotR.**

_Chapter 4_

As Kestrel rode into Helm's Deep, she noticed that all the villagers (and there were a lot of them) were staring at the soldiers with sunken eyes and barely concealed desperation. And with good reason, too. The force that arrived in Helm's Deep was only about half the number that met the Wargs in battle.

"So few. So few of you have returned." Éowyn said, looking around at the silent parade of soldiers.

Dismounting, Théoden said, "Our people are safe. We have paid for it with many lives."

Kestrel dismounted also, leading Lorthan to a stop in front of Éowyn. "Éowyn…"

"My lady…" Gimli said also, coming up behind Kestrel

With worried eyes, Éowyn asked, "The Lord Aragorn…where is he?"

"He fell…" Gimli said, his voice shaking.

Head bowed, Kestrel added, "Dragged by a Warg off the cliff. A death in battle – that would be what he wished, not to die of old age. But I feel sorrow for him that he did not ever look upon his beloved again." Éowyn's eyes flickered with uncertain emotion. Was that sorrow, anger, or…something else entirely? Kestrel wasn't certain.

At that moment, a soldier came up to her and offered, "Would you like me to take your horse, My Lady?"

"No, but if you would be so kind, please show me where I could keep him." Kestrel said.

The soldier nodded. "Follow me." He turned and headed down a ramp, and Kestrel was about to follow him with Lorthan when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

It was Théoden. "Battle tactics, Kestrel. We need to work out a plan. Come with me." Kestrel nodded, then called after the soldier,

"On second thought, would you take Lorthan for me? Just make sure he's as comfortable as possible." The soldier came trotting back, nodding.

"You're in Rohan. Of course we treat our horses well." He remarked, taking Lorthan's reins.

Kestrel smiled. "You never know. I've heard horror stories of people in Bree…"

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

As Kestrel was following Théoden, Éowyn beckoned her over to speak with her. "Yes, Éowyn?"

"Kestrel, I desperately need to ask you something." she said urgently.

Kestrel smiled. "Ask away."

"Did you see Aragorn's body?" Éowyn asked.

She shook her head. "He was dragged off the cliff by a Warg. But I looked down the edge myself. It's a fifty-foot drop, and there's a rushing river at the bottom. Chances are very slim, almost nonexistent that he's still living."

"Do you believe that he's dead?" Éowyn pressed.

Kestrel nodded slowly. "It pains me, and I'm finding it slightly hard to accept, but yes, I do."

"Come on, Kestrel!" Legolas beckoned from where he had been talking with Théoden. "There's no time to waste!"

"I'm COMING! Shut up!" Kestrel called as she flashed an apolegetic smile at Éowyn and wove her way through the press of people.

Suddenly a hubbub broke out at the entrance to Helm's Deep, and no matter how much Kestrel strained to see what had happened, she couldn't discover anything. But a ripple of sound ran through the villagers, reaching Kestrel's ears. "He's alive!"

"Aragorn?" Kestrel asked. "Who are you talking about?"

"He's back!" Gimli said, pushing between Legolas and Kestrel. "Where is he? Where is he? Get out of the way. I'm going to kill him!" _Yeah, like you can. Midget._

Kestrel muttered, "Aragorn's back – that's a good thing. But if Aragorn's back, then Angel's most likely back too…shoot. What am I supposed to do now?"

"Ignore her, Hawk." Legolas suggested, smiling. He had been calling her that ever since the battle with the Wargs.

She shook her head. "Yeah, like I can. Seriously, what do we do with her? She's a burden and she'll never listen to me. Or you. Or Gimli. Or Théoden. The only person she WILL listen to is Aragorn, and that's just because she's hopelessly in love with him." She sighed.

Just then, Aragorn broke out of the crowd, heading towards Théoden, seeming preoccupied. Suddenly, he looked up, seeing Legolas and Kestrel. He smiled.

"_Le abdollen._" Legolas said in Elvish. Kestrel inwardly groaned. _You just HAVE to speak in Elvish, don't you? In case you haven't noticed yet, I do NOT speak Elvish. _

Looking Aragorn up and down and seeing his extensive wounds, she said, "What happened to you?"

"You look terrible." Legolas added.

"What do you think happened to me, Kestrel? I fell off the edge of a cliff, got knocked unconscious, and was washed downriver." Aragorn said. "And I was followed back here by Angel."

"Where is she?" Kestrel asked urgently. "I need to see her."

Aragorn pointed behind him. "Back there." Straining her neck, Kestrel could just see a flash of pink glitter on top of a white horse. _Wait, that's not a horse. That's…wait, is that a UNICORN? Where the heck did she get that? _As Kestrel headed away from Legolas and Aragorn into the crowd, she noticed Éowyn looking at Aragorn with a look of longing. _Now let's just hope that she doesn't turn into Angel._

Kestrel reached the foot of Angel's shining unicorn, looking up at her with barely concealed pissed-offness. "What do you think you're doing? And where the heck did you find that unicorn?"

"liek,i went 2 nanria!"

Kestrel facepalmed, turning away with a sigh and groan. _You have GOT to be friggin kidding me! She doesn't die or get sent back to Earth; instead, she comes back here with a unicorn, claiming she had gone to Narnia. _"Okay, Angel. Come with me."

"y should i listen 2 u?"

"Because I know what you should be doing right now. And I also know what I should be doing right now, and that is NOT taking care of you. My duties are more important. Come on." Kestrel led her to where Éowyn was standing.

"My uncle wishes to see you." she said.

Sighing and motioning for Angel to dismount, she asked, "Yes, I know, but can you please keep an eye on Angel? I'm afraid she might want to join in any battles that happen. And will you please find somebody who can lead her mount to the stables?"

" uncorn stays w/ me."

"Angel, you're probably going to be going underground with a lot of other people. I don't think you should bring your unicorn in there. She can be stabled with Lorthan, my horse." Kestrel said, struggling to keep her temper.

"im not goin 2 let my uncorn stay w/ your stupid hors."

Kestrel closed her eyes briefly before speaking. "Lorthan has served me well. He's probably better than any of YOUR horses. Including your unicorn right now."

"shes a beter then a uncorn."

Kestrel sighed. "Screw you. Éowyn, do you know where Théoden King and everybody else is right now?"

"Down in the hall. Just keep on going all the way down that ramp, and you'll get to it."

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Kestrel entered the enormous cavern-hall-chamber-room, and everybody stopped talking to stare at her. "Okay, I know I'm late, and I'm sorry. But I had things to attend to, specifically Angel."

"What did you do with her?" Aragorn asked.

Kestrel replied, "I asked Éowyn to keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't try to join in any battles. But like as not she's going to escape and give us more trouble to deal with." Then she noticed the strained look on everybody's face, specifically Théoden's.

"Who died?" she asked, rhetorically.

"Nobody. It's a question of 'who's going to die'." Legolas answered.

Kestrel nodded. "Explain further…"

"An army of Orcs. How many did you say there were, Aragorn?" Théoden asked.

Aragorn sighed. "Ten thousand."

"Ten thousand!" Kestrel exclaimed. "But…but…how will we defend the keep?"

"Follow me." Théoden said, striding out of the room. Kestrel followed him, as did everybody else.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

"So, what's the plan?" Kestrel asked as they walked along the battlements.

Théoden answered, "Every man and strong lad able to bear arms will be part of the battle. We will cover the causeway and the gate from above."

"Archers?" Legolas inquired.

Théoden nodded once. "Yes."

Kestrel looked at the strong timber gates. "How many?"

"Enough." was Théoden's curt reply. "You will be with them."

"What do you mean, 'enough'? Do you realize the scope of the army?" Kestrel persisted.

Théoden stopped and turned around to look at her. "No army has ever breached the Deeping Wall or set foot inside the Hornburg."

"There's always a first time." Kestrel replied. "Don't depend so much on the strength of the walls. What we need is a fighting force."

Théoden shook his head. "We don't have a fighting force, Kestrel. Three hundred – that's all we have. Three hundred plus the strong walls of Helm's Deep. They will not be able to defeat us."

"This is no rabble of mindless Orcs! These are Uruk-hai. Their armor is thick and their shields broad." Gimli said, sliding down to rest beside the open doorway of a watch station.

Théoden answered, "You talk of their armor and shields. But what of themselves? What of their hide, their strengths, their weaknesses?"

"Uruk-hai have no weaknesses. They are trained to kill." Aragorn said.

Unpertubed, Gimli continued, "They fight with maces, with flails, with crossbows. They do not feel much pain. They are strong."

"I have fought many wars, Master Dwarf. I know how to defend my own keep." Théoden said as he entered into the doorway. Kestrel followed him, casting an sympathetic look at the dwarf, who appeared VERY pissed off.

"We will station archers all along the battlements. Most of our people can draw bow and shoot arrow – they know how to hunt. This will not be any different." Théoden said.

Kestrel asked, "But, my lord, have you ever fought Uruk-hai?"

"I have fought Orcs." Théoden replied as they came out the other side of the watchtower.

Slightly agitated, Aragorn said, "Uruk-hai have all the brutality and the cruelty of the Orcs. But they are also part goblin."

"Part goblin?" Kestrel asked.

"Yes. Saruman has crossed Orcs with goblins to produce the Uruk-hai." Aragorn answered.

Théoden said briskly, "No matter what their lineage is, they will break upon this fortress like water upon a rock. Saruman's hordes will pillage and burn – we've seen it before. Crops can be resown, homes can be rebuilt. Within these walls, we can outlast them."

"They don't come to destroy Rohan's crops or villages. They come to destroy his people, down to the last child." Aragorn pointed out. Some of the nearby soldiers started at this, sending furtive glances at them before starting to mutter among themselves. _Great way to boost morale, Aragorn. Good job._

Apparently Théoden was thinking the same thing, because he drew close to Aragorn, whispering furtively. Kestrel could only make out snatches of words: "what…me do? …men…courage…thread…our end…such an end…remembrance."

"Send out riders, my lord." Aragorn said, stepping back. "You MUST call for aid."

Théoden said, with a hint of scorn in his voice, "And who will answer? Elves?" he asked, gesturing at Legolas. "Dwarves?" He motioned at Gimli. "We are not so lucky in our friends as you. The old alliances are dead. They have no worth anymore." _Fine then, go ahead, ignore me! I'm just some random girl who just happens to know how to fight. Screw you sexist person!_ He turned away from Aragorn.

Aragorn caught the King of Rohan's arm, spinning him back around. "Gondor will answer."

"Gondor? Where was Gondor where the Westfold fell? Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us? Where was Gon-" He cut himself off, looking at the ground. _Well, first of all, Théoden King, Gondor couldn't have helped when the Westfold was overrun. It's to the SOUTH, you idiot!_ "No, my lord Aragorn, we are alone." He walked off, calling orders to his soldiers.

"Get the women and children into the caves!" A burst of action followed this order, soldiers scurrying here and there. Kestrel felt that nobody would notice if she slipped off to keep an eye on Angel, at least until the battle.

But as she broke away, Legolas caught her eye and asked, "Where are you going, Hawk?"

"To find Angel and make sure she's down in the caves." Kestrel answered quickly.

Gimli overheard that little bit and perked up, asking, "You say you are going to the caves? How about Legolas and I come with you?"

"Gimli's a dwarf. He loves caves. Personally…" Legolas shuddered. "I prefer the forest."

Ignoring him, Kestrel hurried off to the caves, calling over her shoulder, "Are you coming or not? Because if you are, you'd better hurry up." She looked back, amused at Gimli's waddling run/walk.

"I'm coming!"

"I'm not." Legolas said.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

_They are beautiful._ she reflected, looking around at the glittering cave formations. Behind her, Gimli stared in wonder. "They aren't called the Glittering Caves for naught, I see now."

Kestrel pointed Éowyn out by sight at the rear of the pack, shepherding the scared villagers into the caves below Helm's Deep. "Okay, sure, wonderful, but I really couldn't care less. Hey, Éowyn, do you know where Angel is?" she called, making her way towards Éowyn.

She pointed out a pink-clad figure in the midst of the throng. "Right there." Kestrel facepalmed once again. _I can't believe I missed that. Wow. I'm an idiot. _"Thanks. If it's not too much trouble…"

"I'll keep an eye on her, irritating as she may be." Éowyn promised.

Kestrel smirked. "Oh, you noticed too? Funny, most of the villagers seem to adore her."

"That's because she's pretty, can use magic, and came riding in on a startling white horse with a horn." Gimli said.

_Stupid Mary-Sue…_"It's weird that WE aren't affected by her." Kestrel massaged her temples, staring all the while at the blinding hot pink glitter.

"Perhaps it's because we know what she's really like." Éowyn suggested.

Kestrel shook her head. "But that doesn't really make sense…" She quieted down as Angel began speaking abnormally loudly.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

**A.N. Please forgive the interruption. I just wanted to point out that the underlined parts in the passage to come are how Angel and some of the villagers see it, and the regular parts are how it really happened.**

Angel smiled at the scared villagers around her. "Fear not. I will save you from the Orcs."

Angel slapped and pushed at the crush of people. "get away from me!i said go away,stinky ppl!"

The villagers, immediately eased by her awesomeness, lavished her with praise. "Oh, of course you will! We are no longer afraid, for the great and mighty Angel who slew all the Wargs single-handedly will protect us!"

The villagers ignored her, crying and wailing among themselves and generally annoying Angel.

"Now we shall wait until the fortress of Helm's Deep is breached, and then I will show my superiority above everybody." Angel announced. 

"do i really have 2 stay hear w/ al these ppl?what about eragon?"

"Yes, O Great Angel. We bow to your magnificence. We are your slaves." The villagers said, prostrating themselves on the cave floor.

The villagers continued to ignore her.

"My only orders to you are for you to stay safe. Defend your children. And above all, do not sacrifice yourself needlessly, especially for me." Angel said benevolently.

"y r u ignorin me?the grate angle?im just so awsom!eragon,tell them hoo i am!"

The villagers sank even further onto the ground. "No, please don't tell us not to sacrifice ourselves for you! We would give our lives if it meant that you would live happily!"

The villagers continued to ignore her, pissing her off even further.

"Please rise. You're too kind. I value your lives above mine, however, and I can hold my own in a fight. Defend yourselves. Don't worry about me." Angel reassured.

"whatif the orx brake in?what will happen 2 me?i cant fite them!"

The villagers got up, hugging Angel and crying at the same time. "Oh, thank you so much!"

One old woman bumped into Angel from behind, irritating her even further. She got even more annoyed when the old woman failed to apologize.

"I give you my blessing." Angel said, smiling.

"wtf?u ol lady!y did u bump in2 me?and u didnt alopojis!evil." Kestrel was struggling to hid a grin, as was Éowyn.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Satisfied that Angel was going to stay with the villagers, Kestrel headed back up into the armoury, where the soldiers were distributing weapons. She regretted slightly that she felt nothing for all the boys sent into battle – boys of which the youngest looked only ten years old. Their hands shook as they accepted their weapons, and even the smallest armor fitted them very loosely.

"Look at them." Kestrel whispered to Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli urgently. "Look at them!"

Aragorn picked up a battered sword. After one look at it, he tossed it onto the floor. "Farmers, farriers, stable boys. These are no soldiers."

"Most have seen too many winters." Gimli observed.

Legolas shook his head. "Or too few. Look at them. They're frightened. I can see it in their eyes." And thus ensued a heated argument between him and Aragorn, and of course, to Kestrel's annoyance, it was in Elvish.

"Why do they have to talk in Elvish all the time?" she whispered to Gimli.

He spectulated, "It's Legolas' mother tongue. And possibly Aragorn, if the stories are true."

"What stories?" Kestrel asked.

Gimli answered, "People say that he was raised as an Elf."

Just then, Aragorn said something that both of them understood. "Then I shall die as one of them!" All the movement around them ceased as the soldiers and villagers turned to stare.

"Anger management, my dear Aragorn. Tone it down, will you?" Kestrel asked. "You'd have the whole place in an uproar." Aragorn ignored her and walked away through the crowd.

Legolas was about to go after him when Kestrel put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "He needs some time alone."

"Let him go, lad. Let him be." Gimli added. _Am I the only one who finds this weird? Gimli's calling Legolas a lad, and Legolas is probably a hundred times older than him! And I'm not exaggerating!_

Kestrel said briskly, taking her hand off of Legolas' shoulder, "Well, let's go get ready for the battle. I haven't even taken the armor out of my pack yet. Let's go!" She went to grab her pack from where she had put it, against the wall of one of the more unpopular tunnels.

Unwrapping the cloth bundle, she gasped. The equipment looked as new as it would have been the day it was made. There was a fine tunic of glittering mail, a black leather jerkin, metal gloves and knee-high boots, and a open faced helmet. Kestrel first put the mail tunic on. _Well, this isn't mithril, but it's so fine that it'll probably stop the point of any weapon._

She smiled as she donned the jerkin, which had a stitched hawk on the left.. _Did Mom know that I was going to dress all in black? It matches perfectly! And it fits, too. Just like the mail. And is that the insigna of the _She had her doubts about the gloves, however. _I'm not sure if I should use these. They might be too clumsy, and my survival out there has always depended on my skill. _Her misgivings were unfounded. Although the gloves might have been made out of sheet metal, it was as soft, light and malleable as leather gloves, though they were strong. Kestrel flexed her fingers, marveling again at how well the armor fit. The boots she put on, taking off her customary leather ones. They were lightweight, but again, very strong. The plate that went over her knee bent and flexed with her knee, and she found that movement was still very easy.

The helmet wasn't really a helmet, more like a metal bonnet/veil. The metal extended from the crown of her head down to her chin, but it swept back and just barely covered her ears. The jointed back flap extended all the way down to her waist, flaring out as it did so, acting like a piece of armor. She noticed an insigna on the veil and forehead.. Taking it off to examine it closer, she found that it was the same as the one on the jerkin.

_Should I use this? _After debating with herself for a while, she shook her head and left the helmet sitting on the bag. _Gimli's the only one who wears a helmet. And I'm not a dwarf._

She headed down to the armory, finding Aragorn all dressed, and Legolas as prepared as he ever did especially for a battle. "Your mother's armor?" he asked.

"Yes." She nodded.

Aragorn smiled. "It fits you well."

Gimli came lumbering in right then, wearing a shirt of mail that was bunched around his armpits. _If I didn't know better, I'd swear that he was a bearded lady. That really looks like man boobs. _"We had time, I'd get this adjusted!" he said, messing around with it until it finally fell to the ground. The edge splayed out a bit, giving the appearance of a mail outerdress. Kestrel sniggered.

Ignoring her, Gimli continued, "It's a little tight across the chest…" Aragorn and Legolas had more success hidding their smiles and laughter than Kestrel did, feigning expressions of understanding.

Suddenly, the sound of a horn cut through the silence. "That is no Orc horn!" Legolas said, sprinting out of the armory. The others followed, though Kestrel started lagging behind. _Stupid coat of mail. Screw it._

As she mounted the battlements panting, coming up behind the others, Legolas moved away a little to allow her to see. She nodded her thanks, and then gasped as rows of gray-cloaked Elf archers marched into Helm's Deep.

"Come on!" she said, motioning towards the stairs. The others nodded, and they ran down the steps, Kestrel taking them two at a time.

Théoden came out of the fortress with the same expression of wondering and delight that the other soldiers had. "How is this possible?"

The lead Elf stepped forward, and shedding his cloak, Kestrel saw that it was Haldír. "I bring word from Elrond of Rivendell. An alliance once existed between Elves and Men. Long ago we fought and died together. We come to honor that allegiance." he said, looking up and smiling as Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas finally appeared on the steps behind them.

Aragorn bowed, saying something incomprehensible to Kestrel in Elvish. He hugged Haldír, stunning everybody around them. Once they broke, Legolas and Haldír clasped each other on the shoulder. Then his attention turned to Kestrel.

"I see you are still fighting alongside men, my Lady. May I ask why?" he asked.

Kestrel lifted her chin and replied, "It is what I was born to. I would never forgive myself if I huddled in fear while my equals were fighting to defend me."

Haldír smiled in acceptance of her answer. "Forgive me. I misjudged you when we first met."

He made eye contact with Théoden again. "We are proud to fight alongside Men once more."


	5. Chapter 5

A.N. Please review! Seriously! I know you're reading this…

**Disclaimer: I never did, do not, and never will own LotR.**

Chapter 5

Night had fallen. Legolas, Kestrel, and Gimli were standing on the battlements above the causeway, in the middle of the Elf archers. The sound of the approaching Uruk-hai army grew louder and louder, and the ground shuddered with every step they took.

"You could have picked a better spot." Gimli grumbled. He was all but hidden behind the wall, only the tip of his helmet showing.

Kestrel smirked. "Gimli, this IS the lowest point of the wall. It's not our fault that you're too short to see above it."

Legolas closed his eyes, shaking his head and smiling. "Never insult a dwarf's height, Kestrel."

"Why, what would they do to me? Midgets…" Kestrel smirked.

Choosing to ignore their comments, Gimli said, "Well, lad, whatever luck you live by, let's hope it lasts the night." _Yeah, what am I?_

Legolas assured, "Your friends are with you, Aragorn."

"Let's hope they last the night." Gimli said.

Aragorn clapped Legolas and Kestrel on the shoulder. "Good hunting, my friends. May the grace of the Valar be with you."

Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the wall, and rain soon began pouring down. _Fun. Fighting an army of ten thousand Uruk-hai in the pouring rain at night. How fun. We're going to have a blast. _The rain quickly saturated her hair, which she had put up into a bun. Looking over at Gimli, she saw that little droplets of water were running down his beard and dripping onto his boots.

The leader of the Uruk-hai jumped up onto a rock, thrusting his sword forwards and emitting a sound that sounded not unlike a horn. _Now that's just weird._ The army of Uruk-hai came to a stop, pounding their spears on the ground rhythmically.

Gimli jumped up and down, trying to see over the wall. "What's happening out there?"

"Shall I describe it for you? Or would you like me to find you a box?" Legolas said, grinning. Kestrel laughed, as did Gimli.

"Well, nothing's really happening. They're just growling and setting up a din. Nothing much." Kestrel said. "It must suck to be you."She noticed then that all the human archers had fitted arrows to their bows, each aiming at a separate Uruk-hai. Somebody on the western wall suddenly loosed an arrow, hitting one of the Orcs in the throat. With a gurgle and a groan, it toppled forward.

"_Dartho_!" Aragorn commanded in Elvish. Kestrel was glad that she was standing right next to Legolas, who was able to translate for her. "Hold." he muttered.

The Uruk-hai raised their weapons and bared their teeth in anger, roaring and growling. The leader on top of the rock raised his sword once more, giving the command for the army to charge.

"_Tangado a chadad_!" Aragorn ordered.

Legolas translated, "Prepare to fire." He notched an arrow to his bow, as did Kestrel and all the Elves around them. He said something in Elvish, then added for Kestrel's benefit, "Their armor is weak at the neck and beneath the arm."

"_Leithio i philinn_!" Aragorn yelled. Kestrel didn't need Legolas to translate this. It was clear, from the twanging bows and the flying arrows, that Aragorn had told them to fire. She released her arrow a split second after everybody else did, noting with satisfaction that she hit an Uruk-hai. _One._

"Did they hit anything?" Gimli asked excitedly.

Kestrel rolled her eyes at him. "NO, Gimli. An army of Elf archers shot at an army of ten thousand Uruk-hai, and everybody missed." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Legolas smirk.

"You know what I meant." Gimli grumbled.

Kestrel sighed. "It was your awkward phrasing, not mine. And anyways, what DID you mean?"

Just then, Aragorn shouted, "_Ribed bant_!"

"Full volley." Legolas muttered as he shot an arrow. Kestrel nodded in thanks and began loosing arrows as speedily as she could, wiping out ten more Orcs.

"Send them to me! Come on!" Gimli muttered, waving his axe and nearly cutting Kestrel's bow in half.

Suddenly four Elves fell backwards off the battlements, and Kestrel realized with horror that they had black-fletched arrows sticking in them. They brought her back to Amon Hen, to Boromir's death, to the feeling of strength and yet utter helplessness. In her mind's eye, she saw the black-fletched arrow thudding into Boromir's shoulder, his stomach, his chest. She screamed noiselessly, watching helplessly as Boromir fell to his knees. She then found him lying by a tree, breathing his last breath as Aragorn kneeled over him. And then she was suddenly standing by the river, watching as his body disappeared over the edge of the Falls of Rauros. These scenes played over and over in her head like some twisted DVD. _No! What's happening to me? I'm losing my sanity!_

"Swords, Kestrel! Swords!" Legolas' voice broke into the movie reel. She came to her senses and realized that he was shaking her by the shoulders. She shrugged his hands off.

"I'm all right." She drew Lemrocalir and her dagger, ready to slice at the first Uruk-hai that came up over the ladders that had latched themselves onto the battlements while she was totally out of it. "Come on, come to me! Come to the Hunting Hawk!"

As if in response to her challenge, an Uruk leaped over the battlement, drawing its sword and snarling in Kestrel's face. With a grimace, she ended its life by thrusting Lemrocalir through his chest. It fell onto the bristling pikes of the Uruk-hai army. "Twelve!" Another soon replaced it, and Kestrel felled it by cutting its throat with both her sword and her dagger. "Thirteen!"

"Legolas! Kestrel!" Gimli yelled. They both turned to look at him. "Two already!"

Legolas laughed. "I'm on seventeen! What about you, Kestrel?"

"Thirteen." she said, slightly discouraged.

Gimli shook his head with a growl. "I'll have no pointy-ear outscoring me! Or a girl, for that matter!" He turned and felled another Uruk-hai by hitting it in the groin. Legolas turned, fired two arrows, and turned back.

"Nineteen!"

Kestrel sighed. "Showoff." She ran along the battlements to where the battle was more intense, joining Aragorn as they fended off the flood of Uruks. They were swarming the Deeping Wall like ants swarming a cookie. She thrust her sword up into the brain of one Uruk, then turned around and kicked another one with such force that the one behind it staggered back, holding its stomach. But they kept coming.

She spun in a circle, dispatching any Uruk-hai which came near. Lemrocalir's normally shining blade was dull with Orc blood, and her dagger was dripping from when she had cut an Uruk's throat. "Sixteen! Seventeen! Eighteen! Nineteen! Twenty!" Suddenly, a sharp pain cut through her thigh, and she winced, risking a look. An Uruk had come up behind her and was trying to stab her through her back, when she whipped around at the sound it was making. This caused the gash in her thigh.

With a macabre smile, the Uruk-hai raised its sword high above Kestrel's head. Just as its sword was at its zenith, she threw her dagger into its stomach without thinking. It grunted and looked down in bewilderment, before toppling with a sigh. "Twenty-one." She ripped a length of fabric from her tunic and wrapped that tightly around the gash. _Crap. And on my thigh, too. How am I supposed to run?_

She heard the pounding of many Uruks marching up the causeway. Running as fast as her injury would allow, she came within arrow range of the causeway. She stopped to catch her breath and noticed that they were marching in a _testudo_, or tortoise formation, which left their sides open. _Good. I'm on the side._ Fitting an arrow to her bow, she soon began loosing a volley, ducking after each one just in case they had crossbows. Luckily, they didn't, and she soon regained her courage, shooting arrow after arrow into the mass of Uruk-hai. They fell off the sides off the causeway, the formation breaking up as the Uruks tried to figure up where the arrows were coming from. "Twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven…HOLY CRAP!" She ducked as the first arrow came at her from the seething mass of Orcs ouside the Deeping Wall.

Kestrel limped/ran over to the place where Gimli, Aragorn, and Legolas were fighting. "Gimli! I've got twenty-seven!" she shouted, whirling around to gut another Uruk-hai. "Make that twenty-eight."

Gimli sighed, disgusted. "Twenty-nine."

"Is that all you've got? I've got thirty-six!" Legolas shouted back. "Slackers, both of you!" he added before he turned around to parry an Uruk's blade with his knife.

Kestrel muttered, "Screw you all." She turned to a ladder and jumped on the battlements right between the two planks of wood. An Uruk-hai's snarling face soon appeared, and she jumped down, sending the Uruk-hai flying, and herself landing precariously on a rung. She struggled to stay balanced, grabbing the rungs behind her for support. "Twenty-nine." Once she finally regained her balance, she turned around and scrambled back up, ready to jump on the next Uruk.

It never happened. While she was still a few rungs from the top, an Uruk-hai clobbered her on the back with a heavily gauntleted fist, and she crashed and banged her head on a rung, toppling over into space. She groped wildly for a rung, but she crashed into the sheer rock face of the Deeping Wall. She slid gently down, landing in a heap at the bottom.

Half-dazed, she struggled to her feet, grabbing her sword which had landed beside here and trying to get ready to fight the Uruk-hai who were about to swarm her. "Come on, come to me! I'm not some scared woman hiding in the caves! I am the Hunting Hawk!" The Uruks came at her with vigor. She was only able to defend herself because she was in a dip of the wall, and only one Uruk-hai could come at her at a time. "Thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, come on! I've got a contest to win!"

Her grip was loosening and she dripped with sweat, having to constantly push stray strands of hair behind her ear. Bodies were strewn all around her. _I can't do this much longer. But they just won't run out! I'm totally screwed. I can't believe I'm thinking this, but what I wouldn't give for Angel right now. Glitter magic might actually be useful. _She exchanged a furious flurry of blows with yet another Uruk-hai before finally decapitating it. "Thirty…four…"

Suddenly, a rope dropped right behind her, the knotted end almost hitting her back. It threw her forward, stumbling on the stomach of one of the first Uruks she killed, and she almost got a sword thrust to the belly. She stepped back just in time, grabbing the rope behind her and bouncing off the wall with it, slicing the Uruk in half. "Even…forty!"

"You got it, Kestrel?" Legolas called down. Kestrel tugged twice on the rope, and she felt herself being lifted up, to the immense dismay and annoyance of the Uruk-hai gathered below. _So long, suckers! _

She was hauled over the wall by Legolas and Aragorn, both of them immensely ticked at her foolhardiness. "What do you think you're DOING, Kestrel? You against about nine thousand Uruk-hai?"

"ARAGORN! If you were actually watching what I was doing, you would've realized that I couldn't have helped falling down there." Kestrel protested.

Legolas shook his head. "I'm siding with Aragorn on this one. You didn't have to jump onto that Uruk."

"But…watch out!" She screamed this last statement when she noticed three Uruk-hai creeping stealthily up behind them. As Legolas and Aragorn whirled around, she whipped her dagger out of its sheath, throwing it in the same fluid motion. The lead Uruk-hai clutched its throat, falling with a gurgle off the battlements. _I need a special stock of throwing daggers. _In the moment that the two remaining Uruks were staring off the wall, Legolas and Aragorn were able to dispatch the rest. But yet another Uruk-hai came at her, and she was engaged in a furious battle that lasted quite longer than the other ones.

Her world's only inhabitants were her and the Uruk-hai. The extent, only the area where they battled. There was no sound except for the clang of metal, no smell except for the stench of unwashed Orc, no taste except for the metallic tang of blood where she bit her tongue, nothing to see beside the sneering face of the Uruk, nothing to touch except for the cold stone battlement and the leather-bound hilt of her sword. Her life was wrapped up in those few moments. Everything she had thought she was, everything she had discovered in Middle-earth, everything she had been born into, everything that was yet to come, all that was irrevelant. The only thing that existed was this battle between them now.

Back and forth, back and forth. She lost her footing for a second and almost went down, but luckily, her hand happened on the wall of the battlement. She pulled herself up, gasping and panting with exertion. _How much longer? _She wearily resumed the fight, and through the blood, sweat, and rain, she saw that the Uruk was still perfectly healthy. Despairingly, she thought, _I can't do this. I can't do this! Oh God, help me! Please, Lord!_

Suddenly, a massive explosion knocked her off her feet, and she tumbled down into the void.

**Yes, I know it was short, and I'm sorry, but it was needed.**


	6. Chapter 6

A.N. WHY ARE YOU NOT REVIEWING? Please, please, please! See, look what you've done to me. I'm begging you to review! Come on! It's not that hard! Constructive criticism is accepted and used; flames are ignored unless they have something that is constructive in them. Oh, and I'm upping the counts for Legolas and Gimli so that it fits better. Yes, I know what they originally ended up with.

**Disclaimer: * sighs * See the previous chapters. I give up. Oh, and I don't own Les Mis either.**

Chapter 6

She was falling, falling, falling. She dimly felt a thud, and then suddenly her surroundings changed. The rainy night was replaced by a sunny morning, and the stone walls of the fortress were replaced by a small cottage. She stood up, marveling at all the changes that had been made. Her armor, black tunic and black leggings had all been replaced by a light green silk day gown, and her hair had been changed from a tight bun to many little braids.

The only logical thing to do would be to walk forward and knock on the door of the cottage. Following her instincts, she did just that.

"Who are you?" A guy in his twenties opened the door, peering at her. "What's your name?" His features were hard, his eyes that of someone who had seen many hardships, his voice that of one who was used to treachery.

She tried to answer his question, but no answer sprung to her mind. She tried again and again, finally coming to the conclusion, "I don't know."

The man's face immediately softened, and he said, "Come on in."

"Who are YOU? Where am I?" she asked, some of her old personality creeping in.

The man opened the door wider, inviting her in. "My name is Peren. And as for where you are…nowhere."

"What do you mean?" she asked, cocking her head.

Peren smiled. "We'll discuss it over a cup of tea. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you."

She hesitated over the threshold. Finally making up her mind, she crossed over. _I'm really confuzzled. _It was a cozy cottage, clearly meant for only one or two people to live in.

He closed the door after her, stepping into the cottage and crossing over to the fire, taking a kettle off the fire. Opening a cupboard, he took out two white teacups, placing them on a small wooden table with two chairs. Pouring tea into each teacup, he motioned her to one chair, while he put the kettle back and sat down at the other.

"I think we'd best have a talk." he said, taking a sip of his tea.

She sipped too, grimaced because it was too hot, and shook her head. "Seriously, what did you mean when you said I was nowhere?"

"Because that is precisely where you are. I am the only inhabitant of this world, except the animals and plants, naturally. It's only a couple square miles, but it serves my purpose." Peren explained.

She nodded, satisfied by the answer. But then another question sprang to mind. "But who am I?"

"I don't know. Are you a Guardian?" he asked.

She turned the term over in her mind, finally concluding that it was familiar and she probably was a Guardian. "I guess so."

"What clan?" he asked next.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know anything. Stupid amnesia. It's driving me crazy."

"Perhaps this will help." Peren went to a small counter in the corner, taking six objects from it. He placed them on the table. "Which one are you most drawn to?"

The objects were a ruby, a small vial of water, a leaf, a diamond, a candle, and a small figurine of a hawk. Her hand quested forward, almost of its own will, and hovered over the objects for a while before finally descending upon the hawk figurine. As her hand closed in around the hawk, she felt a rush of information overwhelm her senses, and she reeled on the stool for a moment. Peren reached out and steadied her, nodding and smiling.

"Just as I thought."

She asked, "What do you mean?"

"What is your name?" he replied with another question.

To her surprise, she found an answer. "Allemro. My name is Allemro."

"Kestrel, Allemro. Kestrel." he said. "That's the name you've been going by for the past decade."

"What?" she queried, not really understanding.

Peren shook his head. "You don't know what's been going on?"

"Nope." Allemro said, shrugging and shaking her head.

Peren leaned back, stroking his chin. "This could be a problem." Allemro remained silent while he thought. Finally, he sat forward, an idea finally making itself known. "I have an idea."

"Go on…" she said, interested.

Peren smiled. "Spend some time here. Be at peace. You'll be called back when the time is right, and that's when you'll recover your memory."

"Dang it." Allemro muttered.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Allemro spent an indefinite number of days in the small clearing with Peren, sleeping out under the stars at night and walking in the woods during the day. While she WAS at peace, a small part of her wished to go back to where she was before. At least there she had her memory.

"It is time." The voice startled her, and she turned around. Peren was standing behind her, a serious look on his face that she had rarely seen.

Allemro stood up. "Time for what?"

"For you to go back. Come to the cottage. It'll be best if you're there when you're called back." he said.

She nodded and followed him back to the cottage. He motioned her to one of the stools, and she sat. "So I'm just supposed to wait here until I get called back?"

"It won't take that long, Allemro. Just a few minutes is all." he reassured. So she sat waiting, and slowly, her surroundings began to fade. The last thing she saw before she slipped into darkness was Peren.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Kestrel slowly came awake to the sound of a voice muttering something in Elvish. She opened her eyes to see Legolas standing in front of her, killing any Uruk that came in range. After taking a few seconds to get her bearings, she sprang up, looking for her sword. Hearing her movement, Legolas turned around and saw her. He bent and picked up Lemrocalir from where it had been lying next to his feet, presenting it to Kestrel.

"Thanks. I'm all right." she said, accepting her blade back.

Legolas nodded. "That's the second time you've lost your sword and I've had to keep it for you. Take good care of it – it's one of a kind."

An Uruk came snarling at her, and she brought her sword up, blocking the Uruk-hai's blade and slicing its throat open in one smooth move. "And that's…forty…one, I think."

"Forty-one? That's not much. I've got forty-seven." Legolas said. Kestrel could clearly hear a smirk in his voice.

Shaking her head, she decapitated another Uruk-hai. "That's forty-two." Legolas was in the middle of his own fight, but she thought that she heard him muttering,

"Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one…" She growled and set to her task with a will. _I probably can't beat him, but it's worth a try!_

"_Nan Barad! Nan Barad_!" she heard Aragorn shouting through the haze of blood from a gash on her forehead that the forty-fourth Uruk had inflicted on her.

Legolas nudged her, muttering, "To the Keep, Kestrel. Back to the Keep."

"Fine." she said, shaking her head and setting off into an easy lope, following Legolas up the steps and along the battlements. "And why are we retreating?"

Legolas shrugged. "Search me. Théoden's order?" Then they saw that the strong wooden gates were slightly opened, so they sprinted to get inside before the Uruk-hai broke in. They barely made it, Aragorn crashing in right on their tails.

"To the gate! Draw your swords!" Théoden shouted as soon as the gates were closed. Kestrel heard the tell-tale hammering of a battering ram on the gates.

She shook her head. "Swords aren't much against a battering ram, Théoden King."

"I'm not counting on the timber. It's old and dry. I'm counting on taking as much Uruks as we can with us." Théoden said as he ran to the doorway. Sighing, Kestrel drew Lemrocalir as well as her short dagger. Legolas had drawn his two Elven fighting knives.

_This won't hold much longer. _Kestrel thought as she readied herself to fight. _Stupid old wooden gates! What I wouldn't give right now for a steel plate._

With a roar, the Uruks broke through. Kestrel took one out with a sweep of her sword, then parried another blow with both Lemrocalir and her dagger, slitting the Uruk-hai's throat. "Forty-five, forty-six…"

"Timbers! Brace the gate!" she heard Théoden call. She hurridly jumped to the side as a group of soldiers came with long planks and various wooden furniture. _Thank God the Uruk-hai don't have archers this time. We'd be screwed._ The group of soldiers hammered the planks over the door, and Kestrel couldn't help thinking _Uh, that's on the wrong stage. The next street down, fourth door, THAT's where they're showing Les Misérables. Not here._

In her periphal vision, she saw Legolas making his way up to a set of stairs that led to the roof. "Where're you going?"

"Up top. I can't stand around here waiting for them to break in." he replied, heading up the stairs. "You stay here."

Kestrel sighed, then shook her head. "Screw this. I'm coming with you." She sprinted over to the stairs and took them two at a time, hurrying to catch up with Legolas, picking him out of the maybe 75 soldiers that were still on the wall. As she leapt over the bodies, she noted with interest, _I don't see Haldír's body here. Maybe he lived, after all?_

"What are you doing here?" Legolas asked after she tapped him on the shoulder.

She closed her eyes in exasperation. "You expect me to stay in the Keep when there's Uruk-hai to kill and a contest to win?"

"You'll never win." Legolas said, shaking his head.

Kestrel was about to fire back an equally scathing reply when a razor-sharp hook latched onto the battlements right in front of her and she jumped back. "What the heck is that?"

Legolas didn't answer her, only pointed at a dark shape that was coming up along the rope attached to the hook. As it got closer, she saw that it was a ladder with at least fifty Uruks clinging to it. "Screwed."

"Who, us or them?" Legolas asked, smiling. Kestrel shrugged. She saw that that ladder was only one of many ladders that were slowly rising along the edges of the battlement.

The first ladder had almost reached the wall, and Kestrel was ready for it. She stood right where she judged it would hit the wall, and as soon as it came into reach, she shoved it with all her might. The ladder waved back, shuddering for a while before falling into the ground with a thud. But she had overbalanced, and was about to fall over the edge when Legolas pulled her back.

"Now how many times have you saved my life today?" she asked him.

He replied, "A lot. And by the way, that only counts as one." Then he fitted an arrow to his bow, firing it at a rope that a ladder was moving rope broke, taking the ladder of hysterical Uruk-hai with it.

"That only counts as one too!" Kestrel protested indignantly.

Legolas nodded. "Fine. It's not like Gimli's going to win."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. After all, who knows how many he's got now? His way of fighting is pretty much the same as the Uruks. Brute strength." Kestrel shrugged.

Just then, they heard Théoden's voice calling up to them through the stairwell. "Legolas! Kestrel! Get Aragorn and Gimli back in here!"

"Where's that rope you hauled me up with?" Kestrel asked.

Legolas produced a coil of silver Elven rope. "Right here. Let's get them up here!" He threw the rope down, calling out, "Aragorn!" Aragorn looked up from where he had been fighting on the causeway and grabbed Gimli in one hand and the rope in the other.

"They've got it!" she shouted. Legolas and Kestrel began to pull Gimli and Aragorn up, hand over hand, until they climbed over the wall.

"Fall back! Retreat! They've broken through!" They heard Théoden's shouted order and saw all the soldiers rush for the stairways.

Aragorn jerked towards the nearest one with his head. "We'd best be going too. King's order."

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

They made their way to the hall that they had met in the previous day, everybody doing their best to shore up the doorway. With a look of resignation, Théoden said, "The fortress is taken. It is over."

Aragorn handed a table to Legolas to shore up the door and went up to Théoden angrily. "You said this fortress would never fall while your men defend it! They still defend it! They have died defending it!"

"Are you stupid? Do you think you could surrender? If you're going to die, die in a blaze of glory, instead of cowering in the bowels of the Keep, waiting for the Uruks to seek you out!" Kestrel shouted, shaking the King by the soldiers.

Théoden looked at her with a burning fury. "Are you threatening mutiny? How dare you speak to the King of Rohan?"

"I do not answer to you. My king is the King of Kings. I only fight for you. Think about it, Théoden! Think!" Kestrel said, unfazed.

Aragorn asked urgently, "Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves?" Nobody answered him, everybody looking ashamed. "Is there no other way?" he demanded.

Gamling, Théoden's second in command, said, "There is one passage. It leads into the mountains. But they will not get far. The Uruk-hai are too many."

"Well, you're optimistic today…" Kestrel muttered.

Aragorn ordered, "Send word for the women and children to make for the mountain pass. And barricade the entrance."

"So much death. What can Men do against such reckless hate?" Théoden asked, the light of despair shining in his eyes.

The room was silent, then Aragorn spoke up. "Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them head on."

"Oh yeah! Finally, you get a good idea!" Kestrel said, feeling awkward when everybody turned to stare at her.

Théoden stared back at Aragorn. "For death and glory." _Now I remember why I thought he was suicidal._

"For Rohan. For your people." Aragorn replied with force. _Maybe he shares my thoughts._

Gimli looked up at a faint sliver of light coming in from a high window and said, "The sun is rising." _Way to go, Captain Obvious!_

"Yes. Yes! The horn of Helm Hammerhand will sound in the Deep one last time!" Théoden said, the light of determination clearly seen.

Gimli ran off. "Yes!" Looking around, Kestrel noticed that a few soldiers had gone into the stables deep below the fortress and brought back their horses. Lorthan whinnied when Kestrel noticed him.

"You're a good boy, aren't you, Lorthan? Let's ride out together into battle again!" Kestrel said.

Théoden put a hand on Aragorn's shoulder. "Let this be the hour when we draw swords together. Fell deeds, awake! Now for wrath! Now for ruin and a red dawn!" He put on his helmet, mounting his tall battlehorse.

Kestrel mounted Lorthan, noting with interest that he seemed to be anticipating the battle to come. "You're a right old warhorse, aren't you?"

Suddenly, a low, echoing sound rumbled in her ears. _Uh, that kinda sounded like a fart. Note to self: NEVER tell Théoden King that the horn of Helm Hammerhand sounds like a fart when blown. Or maybe it's just Gimli_?

Théoden drew his sword (yes, the one whose hilt looks like a heart) and pointed it forward, spurring his horse on. "FORTH EORLINGAS!" Without even the slightest movement from Kestrel, Lorthan broke into a gallop, running over Uruks as he went.

"Oh, and by the way, the Uruk-hai that your horse kills DOES NOT count in your final tally!" Kestrel shouted across to where Legolas and Gimli were riding Arod.

Legolas shouted back, "That would be kind of hard to count anyways, considering the fact that Gimli and I are sharing a horse…"

The Uruk-hai fell as if a scythe had been swung through them. Kestrel looked back and saw that the halls were littered with Uruk corpses. _Oh yeah. Let's go, baby!_

They charged out of the gates and onto the causeway, plowing through the marching ranks of Uruk-hai as they went. Kestrel and Lorthan fought almost as one creature, her with her sword and dagger, him with his teeth and hooves. "Now how many do we have, Lorthan?"

During a lull in the battle, she looked up at the sun and saw a white rider coming to a stop. _Gandalf._ The whole of the Rohirrim came to a stop behind him. _And Éomer... Poor Éowyn. She had to stay behind with the women and children. Next time, she's coming right next to me._

The massed ranks of the Uruks also turned to stare at the cavalry thundering at them. The front rank leveled their spears in a futile attempt to repel the Rohirrim. _Uh-uh. Not going to happen._ Kestrel plowed her way through the back of the Uruks, killing as she went. _Now THIS is easy…_

After the arrival of the Rohirrim, the battle turned into a large-scale cleanup operation, just hunting down the Uruks and essentially annihilating them. Kestrel asked Théoden if she could go grab Éowyn for it, since cleaning up after a battle never was really dangerous.

"No. Don't even think about it, and don't let her mention it." was his harsh reply.

Kestrel threw up her hands in exasperation. "And why?"

"Because she's a w-" He started before realizing that he was talking to Kestrel, who was known for being very annoyed at the people of Rohan because, in her mind, they were so very SEXIST.

She smiled. "Well? Why won't you let her fight?"

Théoden hesitated before carefully forming his answer. "Well, uh, she's the daughter of my dead sister, and, uh, I feel indebted to her."

"Your sister or Éowyn? Anyways, Éomer's her brother, and you let him fight!" Kestrel protested.

Théoden, who by now was getting VERY flustered, answered, "Well, in Rohan…"

"Oh, for Eru's sake! Don't give me all that blather about 'in Rohan' and all that crap! Listen, if you give me a good reason, I'll stop bothering you!" Kestrel interrupted. After an intense staring contest, she shook her head and remounted Lorthan, riding off to find Uruks that had run away. _Remind me why Rohan was my favorite country in Middle-earth? STUPID SEXISTS! I've seen Éowyn practice, and she's perfectly fine. She could hold her own in a battle. _

The cleanup took about an hour. Kestrel was so exhausted by the time it was done that she almost fell off Lorthan. _I NEED TO SLEEP! _she thought as she rode back inside the keep. Then she remembered something else. "Hey, Legolas!" she called.

"What is it?" he asked.

Kestrel laughed and replied, "Final tally's sixty! You?"

"Not bad. I've got sixty, too." Legolas nodded.

Gimli chuckled heartily and smiled. "Hahaha! I've got sixty-five!" As Kestrel sighed in disappointment, she noted with interest that Legolas' face fell at the same time. _You're the one who said that Gimli wasn't going to win…stupid racial feuds!_

Éowyn had been waiting anxiously at the entrance to the caves, and when she heard that the army was back, she ran to them. After checking up on Aragorn and making sure he wasn't hurt too much, she went to find Kestrel.

"Is she safe inside the caves?" was Kestrel's first question to her.

Éowyn nodded. "Yes. Stirring up the villagers, no doubt, and making them pretty much worship her, but she never left the caves."

"Thanks." Kestrel smiled and dismounted, stumbling and almost fallin over.

Éowyn steadied her, and when Kestrel looked up, she saw that her eyes were worried. "Are you all right?" Éowyn asked.

"Lack of sleep. Just like on the way here. I'll just stable Lorthan and give him a treat before I rest. I'm all right." she answered, taking his reins and walking towards the stables.

Éowyn shook her head. "I'm coming with you either way. I want to hear about the battle."

Kestrel realized that Éowyn was starved from lack of action, and she at least wanted to hear how her friend had fared in the battle. So Kestrel told her everything as they walked to the stables, leaving nothing out, especially the converstation between her and Théoden.

"You actually talked to the King of Rohan like that?" Éowyn asked in amazement.

Kestrel smiled. "What could he do to me? The worst he could do is banish me, and that really wouldn't be a good idea, considering the fact that I'm one of the best warriors he has."

"But still…" Éowyn protested before she realized what she was doing.

Kestrel snorted. "Are you really protesting how I talked to your uncle about letting you fight?"

Smiling, Éowyn shook her head. "You're really strange."

"As are you." Kestrel teased. Then she grew serious. "Éowyn, you're fighting in the next battle we fight no matter what. I'll help you disguise yourself and I'll also protest your case with Théoden King."

"Thanks." Éowyn smiled again.

Kestrel opened the stall door and led Lorthan in. "Do you happen to have a sugar cube, oats, or an apple on you?"

"Here." Éowyn pointed out a small sack, and Kestrel found that it was full of oats. She carried it back to the stall and poured out a small measure of oats into the feed trough. She patted Lorthan's mane.

"You deserve it." She said.

"Kestrel, you'd best go and get some rest. You look dead tired." Éowyn said anxiously.

Kestrel nodded. "At least I'm only tired, not dead."

Éowyn had said that Angel didn't leave the caves. That didn't mean she didn't try – this is her version of what happened, followed by the real one.

Éowyn was standing guard at the entrance to the caves, both to make sure that Angel didn't leave and to fend off any attackers who made it that far. Not that any did.

"Éowyn, may I leave to go help my beloved Aragorn?" Angel respectfully requested.

Éowyn snorted and slapped her on the face. "Of course not. Go and scrub the floor."

"But it's a CAVE! And Aragorn needs my help!" Angel protested.

Éowyn shook her head. "Kestrel's helping him, and that's good enough for him. He doesn't need you."

"You evil woman! You're just jealous that Aragorn doesn't love you!" Angel snapped. Éowyn pushed her to the ground and she crawled away, sobbing.

"eowin let me go help eragon sweeti!"

Éowyn: "No, Angel. You should stay here where it's safe."

"but eragonneedsmy help!"

Éowyn: "Angel, Aragorn's a perfectly capable warrior. He doesn't need your help, and you would be a burden because they would have to keep an eye on you."

"y u somean?urjust jeluos!"

Éowyn gently took her arm and led her back to the middle of the crowd, shaking her head. Why me?

The part where Kestrel comments on how she thinks Théoden is suicidal is inspired from "Why Killing Yourself Is A Bad Idea" by (oh my gosh! I forgot who it's by! Sorry!). It doesn't belong to me.


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N. Review, review, review! Oh, and by the way, there are a lot of …'s in this chapter. I was bored because you weren't reviewing. I shall not apologize. Oh, and I think some of Angel's comments in this chapter are missing spaces – that's because my space bar is screwed up and I think a Suethor really wouldn't stop to check if there are spaces or not.**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill.**

Chapter 7

Kestrel was EXTREMELY tired. So tired, in fact, that when she reached the secluded hall where she had dropped her stuff the day before, she just sank down with her back to the wall and put her head on her knees, trying to get a little rest. She drifted off into a doze, dreaming about the woody clearing.

So that was why she was startled when somebody tapped her on the shoulder. She opened her eyes and looked up. "Oh. Hi, Legolas."

"May I sit?" he asked. Still pretty tired, she didn't say anything, just nodded and closed her eyes. She heard Legolas sit down beside her. "You look exhausted, Hunting Hawk."

Kestrel snorted. "I AM exhausted. What does it look like?" Legolas didn't respond, and she put her head back on her knees, trying to go back to sleep.

"How are you doing?" Legolas asked.

Kestrel smirked. "What do you mean? Well, you should be able to tell that I'm VERY tired."

"The final battle won't be anything like the one we just went through." Legolas said.

She sighed. "What do you mean, the final battle? The final battle against Sauron? Or the final battle against the Destroyers?"

"Both. The odds will be even bigger against us. And as for the battle against the Destroyers…I don't know how that will work out. We WILL have the other five Heirs to help us, and I don't know who else. But the battle against Sauron? Everything depends on Frodo." Legolas answered.

Kestrel whispered almost to herself, "One little hobbit holds the fate of us all in his hands."

"We won't die in the coming battle. Remember what Galadriel said." Legolas reassured.

Kestrel snorted (again). "Yes, I KNOW what Galadriel said. It's called DRAMATIC EFFECT. Ever heard of it? And anyways, she never said that we would win this war. Think of everybody else in Middle-earth. Aragorn, Gimli, Merry, Pippin, Éowyn, Éomer, Sam's Rosie that he always talks about, Bilbo…" She got up, remembering that she had yet to clean her weapons and armor. "I haven't taken care of my weapons yet. What time is it, anyways?"

"You missed lunch." Legolas said, smiling.

Kestrel shrugged. "Whatever. I can deal with that. I'm not a hobbit." She was about to walk to the armory and find a whetstone and polishing cloth when Legolas stopped her.

"Wait!"

She turned around. "What?"

"I don't want you to think I'm strange, but…Hunting Hawk, I love you." Kestrel widened her eyes and dropped her gaze at this, seemingly repulsed on the outside, but on the inside, Galadriel's voice was running through her head. _You and Legolas Thranduilion are destined for each other. He is your partner and your companion._

Legolas bit his lip and looked crestfallen. Kestrel couldn't bear it any longer. She looked up into his eyes and smiled. "Oh, Legolas, I love you too!" She was rewarded by the sight of a huge grin breaking out onto his face. Suddenly, the breath was driven from her when he hugged her fiercely, and she hugged him back with all her strength.

Legolas kissed her hair, murmuring, "I love you, Hawk."

"I love you too, Legolas." she said into his chest, smiling with ecstasy and joy. They continued like this for what seemed like an eternity, him marveling at the softness of her body, her taking in the scent of his.

They finally broke apart, and Kestrel immediately saw somebody in the corner of her eye. She whirled around and saw that it was only Aragorn.

At the dangerous glare she sent him, he said, "Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anybody." They both smiled gratefully as he continued. "Council of war in the hall. Come on, everybody's waiting for you!"

"Where's Angel?" Kestrel inquired.

Aragorn answered, "Safe with Éowyn."

"So she – I mean Éowyn – won't be at the council?" Kestrel asked.

Aragorn shook his head. "No. Why would – " He cut himself off when he, like Théoden, realized that he was talking to the girl who was well known for being very insulting (and vicious) when anyone, ANYONE, commented on 'how women weren't supposed to fight.' So instead, he finished, "you need to know where Angel is?"

Kestrel shot him a glare that could freeze the fires of Hell. She clearly knew what he was about to say.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

"We're taking the people back to Edoras as soon as possible, probably tomorrow." Théoden said.

Kestrel challenged, "Aren't you worried about what would happen if they're attacked by a band of Uruks?"

"Kestrel, the WHOLE force of Isengard was unleashed on us. They have nothing left." Aragorn said.

Unwilling to back down, she replied, "Saruman's not that stupid! There's got to be some left!"

"There's no Uruk-hai left, Kestrel. They're all gone." Théoden answered. "All he's got now are Orcs. And they're for his protection only."

Then Gandalf spoke up. "We, and by that I mean Théoden, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, Kestrel, and I will be going to Isengard to see what's going on there."

"When?" Aragorn asked, ever the practical one.

Gandalf answered, "As soon as the villagers leave. Théoden, my friend, who will you put in charge of them?"

"Éomer or Éowyn. Or maybe both." Théoden said. "They're both capable leaders."

Kestrel snorted. "Come on, put Éowyn in charge! Or at least let her be the co-leader alongside Éomer." she said, ignoring the looks she got from everybody, especially Éomer. "She hasn't done much besides shepherd the villagers inside the Glittering Caves. She wants to do something."

"She already has, Kestrel. She led the people here to Helm's Deep. She probably wants a rest now." Théoden argued.

Kestrel shook her head. "No. She WANTS more action. She WANTS to do more work. She's tired of being left behind." She drew breath to continue, but Théoden held up a hand.

"Fine. Let's compromise, seeing that I can't quiet you down. Éomer and Éowyn will both be in charge of taking them back to Edoras. Matter closed." He said. Kestrel was about to argue but the look in Théoden's eye told her that he would brook no arguments.

"Well then, we'd best move off and get some rest. Especially after that battle." Legolas said, looking pointedly at Kestrel.

They all agreed with him, and as Aragorn left, he noted with interest that Legolas and Kestrel had held hands throughout the whole meeting. But then again…Arwen and I would be doing the same thing.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Kestrel squeezed Legolas' hand before disappearing into the crowd of villagers to look for Éowyn (and Angel). She felt bad about unloading Angel on Éowyn for like the millionth time, and she planned to make that up. How, she wasn't sure. _Nobody should have to look after that brat in times of war. Least of all Éowyn…and me…yeah…whatever…I like thinking dot dot dot_…

"squeee!its eragon!1liek ur soooo hot!" As soon as she heard that tell-tale high pitched scream, she facepalmed. _I'm so sorry, Aragorn. And actually, I'm kinda surprised she isn't glomping Legolas…_Kestrel brushed that thought away as soon as it came. _Aragorn's already got Arwen. And Angel would hate me even more if…_

Éowyn was not far behind Angel, rushing to get her before she glomped Aragorn and got pink glitter glue all over his clothes. Kestrel ran up too, slamming into Aragorn and knocking him to the side. With a "Sorry. Angel problems.", she got up and went to where Éowyn had Angel in a fierce headlock. _Where the heck did she learn that?_

"Thanks." Kestrel said, taking Angel's wrists and holding them tightly. Angel turned around and tried to bite her a couple times before Kestrel squeezed her wrists tightly. "No. You're not doing that. Anyways, I thought you had Mary-Sue powers."

Éowyn was massaging her temples as if relieving a headache. "I never want to see a pink dress again. I'm going to wear blue from now on."

"I don't want to see anything related to her again, and if I ever hear somebody mention an angel, I swear, I'm going to freak. Thanks so much for keeping an eye on her, and if there's anything I can do for you, just ask." Kestrel said, kneeing Angel in the back to keep her from struggling. As she looked down on her originally-black-now-stained-with-pink-glitter leggings, she sighed. _Good job, Kestrel. Smart._

The White Lady of Rohan smiled ruefully. "Yeah, get me into a battle."

"I'm trying, all right! But you see, there aren't going to be any major battles anytime soon. Sorry! But I CAN tell you what we were discussing today…" And Kestrel proceeded to tell her everything that the council had decided.

When she was finished, Éowyn commented, "So I'm not to go to Isengard with you. I'll just lead the villagers back to Edoras, again, seeing no action."

"It's highly unlikely that we'll see any action anyways. And your brother's going with you, and there's no reason for HIM to not be going into battle." Kestrel reassured her. "Come on, face it. Anyways, we're probably just going to find Merry and Pippin, anyways."

Éowyn smiled, then asked, "I've never met a hobbit. What are they like?"

"I can't begin to tell you all. For one, they eat a lot, and they love eating. I keep on thinking that we'll bump into them in a tavern or something. And they love jokes, and Pippin seems to say and do stupid things easily. 'Fool of a Took', Gandalf calls him. And heck, they're short. About the same height as Gimli, though without the beard, which makes them just look like shrunken Men." Kestrel described.

Éowyn giggled. "Sounds like fun."

"And a lot of caretaking. Easier than Angel, however. Merry and Pippin are pretty brave in battle. Can't say anything for Frodo and Sam – I've never seen them really fighting." Kestrel said.

Éowyn nodded. "We won't meet Frodo and Sam for a while, or so I heard."

"Who told you?" Kestrel asked. _And I thought our quest was supposed to be secret!_

Éowyn answered, "Gandalf." _So I suppose I'm supposed to trust Gandalf's judgement entirely? I guess so….dot….dot….dot….dot….dot…whatever…_

Just then, Kestrel realized that she STILL hadn't cleaned her armor or weapons yet. "I've got to go, Éowyn. My weapons are still blood-stained, I need to repair a few arrows, and my armor is dull. Sorry, but I have to go. Is there anywhere that I could keep Angel without having anybody try to kiss her and slash or kill her? Or for her to escape?"

"Your best bet is back in the Glittering Caves. There's one that used to be used as a cell for dissidents – I guess you could take her down there. The only problem is that it needs a guard, and I don't know who could guard her for you." Éowyn said, slightly worried.

Kestrel shook her head. "Screw it. I'll stay by the entrance to the caves myself. I'd like to see her try to get past me. And she can't complain of not being able to move around."

"There is the small matter of her finding that other exit…" Éowyn trailed off.

Kestrel snorted. "Mary-Sue she might be, but she's not smart enough to find that doorway." _Wait a second…how the heck is Angel not noticing us talking about her?_ Then she realized that Angel was literally drooling at the sight of Aragorn. _Oh. I see._ "All right then, I'm taking her down there. You could come and keep me company once in a while."

"One day, Kestrel. Just one day. Then you could give her over to Éomer. He's not Aragorn, and he won't fall for her." Éowyn replied.

Kestrel widened her eyes. "Tell me why I can't give her over right now?"

"You could try, but I doubt he'll take her. It's a different matter when we leave, however. He'll consider her one of the villagers. And right now, villagers can live by themselves." Éowyn explained. "My brother still needs to consider other things, and the other villagers don't need him. Why should she?"

"Fine then. I'll take her down there, and you're coming with me." Éowyn sighed, but she took one of Angel's wrists from Kestrel. As they pulled her roughly lower and lower into the bowels of Helm's Deep, Angel started to struggle.

"were r u takin me?weres eragon?i need 2 be w/ him!" _Funny, how when a Mary-Sue speaks, you can HEAR the txtspk! It's really strange. Oh well, not like Mary-Sue's aren't._

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

With Angel safely ensconced in the Glittering Caves, Kestrel settled down next to the seemingly tiny crack in the wall. It was barely seen from the front, but something had caused the stone on one side to shift forward a foot or two. The narrow hallway helped the illusion too. _Why me? Why me? WHY ME? WHY DO I HAVE TO BE STUCK GUARDING THIS FRIGGIN MARY-SUE BRAT THAT USED TO BE MY BEST FRIEND? KEY WORD: USED? WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TOO?_ After about an hour of this tedious guarding job, she drifted off.

She was standing in a glade wearing green silk dress. A small stone cottage was in front of her, but she felt no urging to go there. Instead, her feet led her into the trees surrounding the clearing. Sunlight streamed through the treetops, and the fallen autumn leaves crunched underneath her bare feet. She had no idea where she was going, but it didn't matter, because something pulled her in one general direction.

"You're back." A voice from behind startled her, and she whipped around, her hand flying to the hilt of a sword that was not there.

Peren stepped out of the surrounding woods. "Relax, Allemro. It's just me."

"I'm Kestrel again." she said, relaxing as he told her to.

He widened his eyes and smiled. "Whatever you say."

"I swear, what the heck am I doing here again? I thought I was rid of this place!" she demanded.

Peren smiled. "I called you back, Alle- Kestrel."

"But why?" she asked. "What IS this place?" She quickly held up a hand, knowing the answer that would follow – she had received it many times. "No, seriously. Don't answer me with a 'nothing'. I want to know the truth."

"I'm telling you the truth. This is nowhere. It exists only in my mind…and yours." Peren said.

She snorted. "Fine then, tell me, who are you? Why do you know so much about the Guardians?" But she never got an answer, because the woods began to waver and fade, and she slowly slipped into blackness.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Kestrel was roused when Éowyn shook her. "Wake up, sleepyhead! I've brought some dinner for you!"

"Thanks, but I'm not really hungry. I'm just tired. Really tired. Extremely tired. And I want to go back to sleep." Kestrel said.

Éowyn sighed. "Well then, I see how it is. I'm leaving your food here, and I won't be bringing your breakfast. Ungrateful person." She turned to walk away in mock anger, but Kestrel stopped her.

"No, seriously, Éowyn. Let me ask you this. Have you ever been in a real battle?" she asked.

Éowyn turned back to face Kestrel. "No."

"Then, no offense, but you won't understand. Being in a battle is friggin EXHAUSTING. Especially when you're standing out on the battlements in the middle of the night with freezing rain pouring down on you. And without a good rest before. Try that, then come back and talk to me about being tired." Kestrel said, a little harsher than she meant it to sound.

Without a word, Éowyn turned on her heel and walked away, actually angry this time. Kestrel sighed. _It's not like I could tell you that I'm a Guardian and I need to talk to Peren, can I? And seriously, I'm REALLY tired. Sorry! _She fell back asleep quickly.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

She landed back in the clearing again and groaned. _Now I have to walk all the way back there, and who's going to say that nobody's going to wake me up in the process? _Then she realized that the door to the cottage was open. Peren always closed it when he was out.

She walked up to the cottage door and knocked, not realizing that she was doing the exact same things that she had done the previous day, when she had been knocked out by the explosion. "Peren! I'm back!"

"I'm COMING, Alle-Kestrel." He opened the door and she stepped in. "If there's one thing I learned with having you for a visitor, it's that you're extremely impatient. Come on, sit down! We haven't got all day."

She sat down at the table, and he sat down on the other side. "Now, about the question that you were asking me. What was it again?"

"It's been like five minutes. I would think you know." she admonished.

Peren shook his head. "Time passes differently here than anywhere else. It's been two days now, and my memory wasn't what it once was."

"What do you mean?" she demanded, somewhat rhetorically. She had asked Peren how old he was countless times, and every time she asked, he would respond with a cryptic grin. "Fine, I know you won't answer that either. My original question was, 'who are you? Why do you know so much about the Guardians?'"

Peren nodded. "Ah, I remember now. Those questions are ones that will be answered another time. Anything else?"

"WHAT THE HECK? WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME? WHAT THE FRICK IS WRONG WITH YOU?" she practically screamed at him. "I swear, I snapped at Éowyn and practically made her my enemy so I could figure this out! And then you go and say 'those questions are ones that will be answered another time.'" she mimicked sarcastically. "What's wrong with you?"

Peren sighed. "It is not time for you to find out the answers to those questions. You need to be concentrating on the mission you're on right now, which is to defeat Sauron. You will find out more after you complete this first part." And then his face began to waver, as did the inside of the cottage. Everything faded to black.

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

"Kestrel! Wake up!" This time, it was Legolas shaking her. "You didn't eat your dinner, and it's breakfast time!"

"Mother hen. I'm just tired. But that's not all." And Kestrel proceeded to tell him about the whole Peren and "nowhere" thing.

He looked thoughtful after she finished. "I COULD answer all your questions for him, but since he isn't choosing to answer, I better not either."

"Wait, you know him? How?" she asked, puzzled.

Legolas answered shortly, "Yes."

"You didn't answer my other question!" she exclaimed.

He sighed. "Bother your other question. Come on and get Angel. We're moving off soon."

Accordingly, Kestrel ran into the Glittering Caves and started shouting for Angel. "We're leaving!" She really didn't expect her to come out, so she was surprised when she heard an answering call.

"weres eragon?is he comin w/us?"

"Yes, he is, Angel. Come on!" she shouted back. She expected to be waiting for at least a couple minutes while Angel made her way to the entrance.

_**Poof!**_She stepped back with shock as Angel appeared in a glowing pink light in front of her. "What the heck?"

"im here!"

Kestrel facepalmed (an action she was getting used to and planned to use a lot more in the future with Angel) and said, "No freaking DUH, Angel. Where do you think I thought you were, THERE?" Of course, being a Mary-Sue, Angel didn't understand much things besides how to get "eragon" to admit that he loved her and how to destroy the One Ring single-handedly.

"ur stupid."

"You're one to talk, stupid freaking MARY-SUE! Now come on, we're moving out. I would turn you over to Éowyn, except that 1. I think she hates me now, and 2. She's got enough responsibility co-looking after all the villagers." Kestrel said, sighing. _What do I do with her? She can't come with us to Isengard!_

"i coud go w/eragon!"

Once again, Kestrel facepalmed. "No, you're not."

"Kestrel! Kestrel!" She turned towards the cave entrance. The other person kept calling her name for a while before she finally realized that it was Éowyn.

"Coming, Éowyn!" Kestrel sprinted out of the cave, seizing Angel's sleeve as she went and wincing at the heavily glitter-glued velvet. _How does that work, anyways? Ah, the mysteries of being a Mary-Sue._

Éowyn was standing at the cave entrance, looking very bored and tapping her foot impatiently. "Oh, there you are. Gandalf says you're leaving now."

"But what about Angel?" Kestrel asked, keeping a firm grip on Angel's sleeve as she tried to wiggle out of Kestrel's grasp.

Éowyn hesitated for a moment before grabbing Angel's other sleeve. "I'll take her." Kestrel let go and was about to run off when she hesitated and looked Éowyn in the eye.

An unspoken message passed between them, then Éowyn smiled and said, "Consider all grudges withdrawn. In an age like this one, grudges between friends could mean the end of all that is good." _I like that. Note to self: must remember to write that down. Could possibly use it for my senior quote if I ever get to go back to school. Which isn't likely, but whatever._

Sorry if you thought that chapter was short…the next one will probably be too…and then we go on to Return of the King! Which I need to finish quickly so I can start the next part for NaNoWriMo. Going to Narnia! Whoopee! REVIEW OR I WILL SET ANGEL ON YOU. It's happened to me…she haunts my dreams! Seriously!


	8. Chapter 8

A.N. Warriormaid needs reviews…or she will stop posting! No, seriously. Review, you freaks! Or else…Oh, and I don't really like Brego (whatever happened to Hasufel anyways? He's awesome!) so Aragorn's horse is named Hasufel.

**Disclaimer: I own * glances at list * Kestrel, Peren, Angel, and a unicorn Pillow Pet.**

Chapter 8

Lorthan charged out of the stall as soon as Kestrel opened the door, almost knocking her over. She tried to grab his mane, but he slipped out of her grasp. "Lorthan! Come back, will you?"

Strangely enough, the black horse stopped and turned his head as if he could actually understand her. After what seemed like a moment's thought, he whinnied and trotted back to her. She pulled his tack from a hook on the wall and proceeded to put it on.

Lorthan turned one of his big brown eyes on her as if to ask _**Why**____**do**____**you**____**need**____**to**____**put**____**THAT**____**on**____**my**____**back?**____**You**____**could**____**ride**____**me**____**easily**____**enough**____**without**____**it.**_

Kestrel shook her head and patted his mane. "No, Lorthan. I can't ride you without a saddle and reins. I'm not Legolas."

He shook his mane as if he was saying _**He**____**could**____**teach**____**you**____**how**____**to**____**ride**____**me**____**without**____**anything.**____**The**____**Fair**____**Folk**____**have**____**a**____**way**____**with**____**us**____**horses.**_

"Yeah. Mmhmm. That'll work completely. Lorthan, I can't ride you without your tack! Get over it." Kestrel said, closing her eyes in frustration.

_**You**__**'**__**re**____**no**____**horsewoman.**___

"I KNOW, Lorthan. I know. Isn't it kinda obvious?" she said, leading him out of the stables. She chose to ignore everything he did after that, reasoning that she couldn't ever win an argument with a horse about horseman – or woman in her case – ship.

As she was bringing him to the gate of Helm's Deep, she found Éomer and asked, "Uh, Éomer, is it normal to think that the horses are talking to you?"

"The horses of Rohan are smarter than most. But only some choose to communicate to Men, though they all can." Éomer answered. "Why, my lady?"

Kestrel sighed. "I feel like Lorthan is trying to tell me that he doesn't need to be ridden with a saddle and stuff. But I can't ride him without that."

"Oh? Is that so? Well, he'll just have to deal with it, unless you are willing to learn bareback riding from the Elves." Éomer suggested.

Kestrel sighed (again) and said, "That's what HE suggested." She nodded her thanks to Éomer and led Lorthan towards the gate. She felt a tap on her shoulder.

"I heard you were carrying on a converstation with your horse."

Kestrel knew that voice well. "Legolas, HE was the one who initiated it. Not me!" she protested.

"Yeah. Right. Sure. Mmhmm. Of course." he answered sarcastically. "What do you think, Lorthan?" The _blasted_ horse lifted his head several times at Kestrel, as if pointing at her.

She facepalmed. "You're all against me. I'm telling you, Lorthan started talking to me first!"

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

They actually had to wait a pretty long time while Kestrel and Éowyn worked to detach Angel from Aragorn. She winced when she saw Aragorn's pink-glitter covered clothes. Then she winced again when she saw her own and Éowyn's. _How__the__heck__did__she__get__away__from__Éowyn?__Never__mind,__I__don__'__t__want__to__know.__Probably__something__to__do__with__being__a__Mary-Sue.__And__those__details__…__I__'__ll__pass._

"Sorry, Kestrel. I was holding onto her arm when a big pink flash of light exploded. When it faded, she was gone, but I heard footsteps." Éowyn explained. _Didn__'__t__I__JUST__say__that__I__didn__'__t__want__details?__Well?_

Kestrel shrugged. "How are you planning to keep her with you, then?"

"Remember? The villagers simply adore her! I'll just leave her with them. They'll grab her to try to pull her back if she tries to leave!" Éowyn said.

Kestrel nodded thoughtfully. "Good idea. So, are you taking her now or not?"

"I'll try…but I can't guarantee success." Éowyn replied.

After thinking for about a minute, Kestrel went over to Aragorn. "Can you do me a favor and ride as far as you can to the west? We need to deal with Angel, and it won't work with you around because…"

"I understand." Aragorn nodded and set Hasufel off at a gallop. They disappeared behind a hill quickly, and she turned back to Angel, who was struggling to release herself from Éowyn's iron grip.

"let me go!1i need 2 find my twoo luv!"

Kestrel sighed. "Angel, you're going back and you're going back RIGHT NOW. I don't want to hear any more whining, pleading, or threatening from you." she said, feeling the hilt of Lemrocalir.

And of course, Angel didn't listen. "but eragon!1were ment 2 b 2gether1" Any further protests faded as Éowyn, finally losing patience, dragged her back inside, still kicking and screaming.

"Nice job, Éowyn!" Kestrel called after her. _Poor__girl.__And__I__'__m__talking__ '__bout__Éowyn,__not__Angel.__Seriously.__Who__could__pity__Angel.__But__then__…__Frodo__'__s__like_"_Maybe__he__does__deserve__to__die.__But__now__that__I__see__him,__I__do__pity__him._" _about__Gollum/Smeagol._ _Angel__'__s__basically__the__same__thing__…__Wait__…__how__do__I__know__what__Frodo__said__about__Gollum/Smeagol?__Maybe__it__really__doesn__'__t__matter__what__I__know__of__them__…__because__it__doesn__'__t__affect__anything__I__'__m__doing__right__now?_

"Then are we ready?" Gandalf asked, already mounted on Shadowfax. "Let us move out! We have business to attend to at Isengard."

Kestrel mounted Lorthan and spurred him on towards the place where Aragorn disappeared. "It's safe now, Aragorn! She's gone! Thanks! You can come out now!" she called.

She began to get worried when Aragorn still wouldn't appear. "Aragorn? Aragorn?"

"I'm here!" Aragorn called. She looked in the direction of his voice (which, by the way, was in the middle of a wide plain) and she still couldn't say anything. Suddenly, he appeared near a clump of rocks.

Intrigued, Kestrel urged Lorthan towards the middle of the plain. She trotted around and couldn't see or feel anything strange about it, until she realized that the others were calling for her. Théoden seemed to be looking straight towards her, and yet he did not say anything. _What__the__heck__is__going__on?_

She (or rather, Lorthan) cantered back towards the clump of rocks. As soon as she reached them, Gimli shouted, "There she is!"

Legolas jumped off of Arod and ran towards her. "What happened? Where did you go?"

"I've got NO idea whatsoever." she replied, slightly pissed at his seeming overprotectiveness. "But I'm here, and I'm all right, see? No need to get all worked up over it."

He sighed. "No, seriously. What happened?" Kestrel responded by trotting back into the "invisibility zone". She watched Legolas gasp when she first "disappeared", and then frantically start looking for her.

"I'm HERE, Legolas." she shouted. He looked up, seemingly drawn to her voice, but apparently he couldn't see her.

"What? I hear you, but you've…disappeared!" he exclaimed.

Kestrel sighed. "Come on in towards my voice." she suggested. He hesitated for a second before slowly walking towards the center of the plain, where Lorthan was standing. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and Kestrel realized that he had entered the "invisibility zone."

"I see you now, but where did you go before?" he asked.

Kestrel trotted over to him. "I've BEEN here the whole time. This part of the plain…doesn't seem to exist, somehow. They can hear us talking, but they just can't see us."  
>Legolas paled. "Oh, no."<p>

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

He closed his eyes and muttered a prayer in Elvish. The only things she could catch (and understand) were "Eru…Ilúvatar." Then he said, "We're in the void. I can feel it."

"What do you mean, you can feel it? And how are we in the void? I can see everybody there, I can see Helm's Deep, I can hear them talking, I can feel the grassy plain…" she trailed off, not understanding.

He sighed. "Can't you feel that? Like you're not really substantial, like your mind is not exactly in sync with your body?"

"Uh…" She had to think about this before answering. The thing that finally clicked for her was when she tried to knee Lorthan but he didn't respond. Then she realized that she hadn't done anything, only her mind told herself to knee him. "Yeah."

"This isn't supposed to be here. The others will just walk right through it, and nothing will happen to them." he said.

She nodded, then asked, "But what happened to Aragorn? He isn't a Guardian."

"But he was trained as a Guardian. Although he does not have our blood, he knows all that there is to know about being a Guardian. And therefore, the void treats his mind as a Guardian's mind." Legolas answered.

She was about to respond when she suddenly saw something. "What's that?" It was the image of a kneeling teenaged girl with red-blonde hair and brown eyes. But it wasn't all that substantial. It looked like a hologram of sorts, a projected image. She doubled over, groaning silently as if in pain.

"Alindra." he said, walking closer to take a look.

The word made something click in her mind. "Alindra? As in…the Fox of the Clan of Fire?"

"You remember." Legolas responded, bending down to look at the image. His hand passed right through it. "Either it's an image, or she's fading."

"But what is she doing here?" Kestrel asked.

Legolas stood up. "She's the one who you have to save in Middle-earth. You could say she's trapped in this world, I guess."

"Alindra…oh, no." She dismounted and ran over to the image. _Alindra__…__I__remember__some__things__now__…__she__was__like__an__older__sister__to__me__…__huh,__she__was__ten__years__older.__Now__…__wait,__aren__'__t__we__the__same__age__now?__Because__she__doesn__'__t__look__like__she__changed__at__all.__Do__you__age__in__the__void?__I__hope__I__never__have__to__find__out.__But__Alindra__…__to__think__it__would__come__to__this__…__that__it__'__s__me__saving__her__…__it__'__s__too__much__to__think._ She bent over, studying the image.

It seemed like Alindra saw her, because her mouth opened in a silent O of astonishment, and then she mouthed the words "Is that you, Allemro?"

"Yes, Alindra. I'm doing everything I can." Kestrel responded, trying to make her mouth move exaggeratingly so that Alindra could read her lips. She then broke down in tears. _She__was__so__vibrant,__wonderful,__and__just__so__full__of__the__joy__of__life.__How__could__she__be__reduced__to__this?_

Legolas helped her up and put an arm around her, holding her close. "It's the Destroyers." he said, as if reading her thoughts. "They did all this."

"How could this happen? Alindra was like an older sister to me. She was my role model, and I tried to make her happy in everything I did. She was the leader of the Four." Kestrel said, still crying.

He hugged her tightly. "I'll do everything I can to help you rescue them. They were close to you, weren't they?"

"I don't remember much, but what I do remember is that they mean a lot to me. The Four…Alindra, Forian, Willow, and Borenlan. And there was one more…I can't remember his name." she said, desperately grasping Lemrocalir's pommel. "I can't stand this. Heck, I just want to go, find the Destroyers, and pick them off one by one!"

Legolas smiled grimly. "Your aim isn't that good. You're not an Elf."

"Whatever! I just want to do SOMETHING!" she cried. Soothingly, Legolas smoothed her hair, kissing her on the brow.

He smiled. "You'll save her. Everybody else too. I'm sure of it."

"Why do you trust me so much? I don't trust myself! My training stopped when I was six!" Kestrel was despairing by now. _I__can__'__t__do__this.__I__'__m__going__to__fail__everybody._

With another kiss, he replied, "And yet you already have proven yourself in battle. I have faith in you. And I'll be by your side every step of the way." He wiped her tears dry.

"Legolas! Kestrel! Where are you?" They quickly pulled apart, looking around guiltily until they remembered that they were in an "invisibility zone". "Where are you?" It was Aragorn.

Kestrel smiled, though tears were still shining in her eyes. "I guess we'd best go, before they start really wondering where we are." She swung up onto Lorthan and trotted towards the clump of rocks. She glanced back a few times, whispering almost to herself, "I'll save you, Alindra. I promise."

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

"What happened?" Aragorn asked when they were a while down the road. "I was watching you, and you suddenly disappeared!"

Kestrel smirked. "That happened to you too. In case you didn't realize. You went into that plain too. I saw you disappear."

"Maybe that happened. That plain had a dangerous aura about it. I don't know exactly what it was, but all I know is, it's not anything good." he replied, staring straight ahead.

She shrugged. "You don't know the least of it. Alindra…"

"She's the first one, isn't she?" Aragorn asked gently.

Kestrel closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes. She was like an older sister to me. It's…horrifying to see her like that. I just can't equate that role model that I always looked up to to what she's become in the void now. I just can't."

"It's your destiny, Kestrel. It's your fate. So much depends on you." he replied.

She turned around in the saddle, almost causing Lorthan to turn around with her. "But what if I don't WANT it to be my fate? What if I just want to be a normal person? What if I just want to be a wandering warrior with no obligations? Why couldn't this lot have fallen to somebody else? Like Alindra, for instance? Or Borenlan?"

"That might have happened had Eru not declared this for you. He's all powerful and all knowing. I trust in him, as should you, Kestrel. He wouldn't have let YOU be the one who had the responsibility of essentially saving the whole universe had he not known that you would do it. Eru loves Arda. He loves Eä. If he chose you to do this, that means that you are the one who will do this." Aragorn said.

Kestrel sighed. "But I don't really want to do this. I hate how everything depends on ME! I swear, I was the youngest in the village! And yet I was the one to live, not Alindra, nor Willow, nor Borenlan, nor Forian." She paused, looking out over the plains of Rohan before continuing. "I can't do this, Aragorn. I can't."

"What's all this doubting coming from, Kestrel? We've talked about this already!" Legolas called from in front of her. "Come on, focus at the task at hand! All we need to do right now is get to Isengard. Nothing else."

She shook her head, trying to clear it. "Whatever." And she spurred Lorthan on, drawing level with Arod. "Stupid angst." _Oh__noes!__I__'__ve__caught__Movie!Frodo__Angst__Syndrome!__Even__though__I__haven__'__t__been__around__him__for__like__more__than__a__week!__*__scream__*!_ A.N. Again, I hate interrupting in the middle of the story, but yeah. That scream was in her thoughts, as in she thought the word "scream" along with the asterisks. Just clearing that up. * poofs *

"Come ON, Kestrel! Stop worrying about the future and the past! Just live for today! None of us are sure we won't die tomorrow. We're warriors, after all!" Legolas said, waving at her.

She muttered, "Yeah, except for you. Stupid freaking elf." She urged Lorthan on again, and soon caught up and passed Gandalf in the lead.

"Kestrel!" he yelled after her, but she ignored him and stared forward. The murky green forest was standing right in front of them. _Fangorn.__Why__does__Gandalf__want__to__come__here?_

She posed that question to the Istari, who totally ignored her and spurred Shadowfax on into the forest. "Come on, everybody! There's nothing to fear in Fangorn Forest!"

Kestrel thought she caught Gimli muttering, "That's what you say." She smirked.

* is listening to Courageous by Casting Crowns * Review! Last chapter! Sorry that it's so short…only excuse that I have is that I wanted 8 chapters in each segment, so…yeah. And we're on to Return of the King! Yayness! * produces lembas out of nowhere and noms it *


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